


Seduce Me: The Fall (E)

by Mysterie



Series: Seduce Me [3]
Category: Seduce Me the Otome (video game)
Genre: F/M, Follows_Erik_route, follows_game_play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-13 22:33:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 37,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7988548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysterie/pseuds/Mysterie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mika Crosstar has to impress her guests and her parents at an impromptu housewarming party the evening after she'd moved into the house, that had belong to her late grandfather who had only just passed away two days prior. As if having unexpected house guests in the form of the incubi brothers and being forced into moving in wasn't enough; with the end of the party, Mika thinks she can take a breather until the one that attacked the brother shows up at her front door! Will her life ever be any resemblance of normal? At the end of the day, when it's all said and done.... does she want it to be? Knowing that if she says yes to that question... the boys will walk out of her life forever...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Erik

Erik. He was intriguing. She’d be lying if she said it wasn’t because of his flirtatiousness towards her, but it wasn’t so much because he was such a flirt so much as because she wondered at the why of it. She had seen his mask slip and had a glimpse of the man beneath it during supper the night before. She wanted to know the real Erik. So, when they all parted ways to head to the their tasks, she remained in the dining room with him. She knew that the table had to become a buffet table for the guests. As she looked around the room carefully, she noticed that the floor needed waxing and the table surfaces needed major dusting. Erik went over to her, lowering a small mop and bucket, that he had brought in, onto the floor and rolled up his sleeves higher on his arms before looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Are you sure you want to work with me cleaning this place up? It’ll be a lot of cleaning and tidying. Plus, we have to move the chairs to the corner.” She shook her head and rolled up her sleeves, walking to the table, grabbing hold of a chair. 

“I think I can handle lifting a couple of chairs and moving them.” He smiled at her with a soft chuckle before following her lead. Eventually they had moved all the chairs to the corner of the room and had begun cleaning both the room and the table. Silence lingered in the air as they both focused on cleaning; she decided to start mopping the floor, but as she stepped towards the bucket her foot rolled over a small, fluffy object, causing her to slip. 

“Ahh!” Before she hit the floor, however, she found herself in the arms of Erik; she stared up at him in a dance-like dip while gripping onto his shirt. His face held pure concern as he held on and looked down at her. 

“Are you alright, princess?” All she could do was nod as she stared at Erik. He was genuinely concerned. There was no flirtation or smirk on his face. It was cute to see a new side of him. He let out a small sigh of relief. 

“That’s a relief. You didn’t twist your ankle, did you?” 

“N-no, I’m fine.” She felt his arm dip gently under her knees so he could lift her up bridal style. She gripped tighter on his shirt before he sat her on the table and knelt down to look at her feet.

“I-I’m really fine!” This was embarrassing! He didn’t seem to notice though, not speaking as he gently looked over her ankles, lightly massaging them to test for pain. She didn’t feel any pain. Instead, she felt pleasure and had to bite her lip as his fingers gently massaged over her skin. She’d had foot massages before, but Erik had amazing skill... like he was a professional or something. Each touch and press sent a wave of pleasure running up her spine; she had to fight to hold back a moan. Despite that, Erik’s face didn’t shift to anything of mischief or seduction. It simply remained as concerned as ever. He was full of surprises it seemed. Was this the real man? The one she’d glimpsed of last night? Eventually, he finished looking over her feet and smiled in relief. He slowly stood up and smiled his usual smile at her with a small giggle.

“You were right, princess. You were fine.” He gently lifted her off the table and lowered her back to the floor before placing a swift kiss to her forehead and continuing his work. She stood there for a moment before slowly walking to the bucket and cleaning as well. Her heart continued to pound as they both finished cleaning the room. As they worked she had the feeling that something was different in the air.  For that brief moment in time, she swore she’d seen that mask of his slip... had seen the real him. Before she knew it, the hour of the house party had arrived. In her mind, she kept double and triple checking the essentials for the party. Knowing her father, he’d invited his business partners and the executives of the Anderson Company to show her off like some trophy. Not that it would be the first time he’d done so, but she hated that he did. Her thoughts went right back to her reflection though, which stood in front of her; she was staring at her own form as a million thoughts race through her mind. It was just a housewarming party, but at the same time... it wasn’t. It was her chance to show her father that she was better than his expectations. A chance for her parents to see her as a woman. A test to see if she was ready to live on her own. Well, she wasn’t truly alone; she had the incubi to thank for that, but even so. She didn’t have her father guiding her or her mother helping her through living alone. A knock on her door broke her thoughts, surprising her. 

“Who is it?” 

“Hey, are you okay in there? Your parents should be here soon, so you should hurry getting ready.” Right... Naomi and Suzu had arrived early to support her. 

“Well, I’m ready but-” 

“But what? I’m sure you look fine, Mika. Just come on out!” Suzu interrupted. 

“Alright...” As soon as she opened the door to the hall, she watched her friends’ face turn from smiles to complete awestruck stares at the dress she had chosen. It was a shoulder dress, leaving her shoulders bare but covering her modestly even as there were sleeves that hung just below her shoulders and it draped elegantly over her form to her ankles, it was like a dark crimson curtain that gently hugged her figure. She wore a string of spaced out pearls around her neck and her shoes matched her dress in color. Naomi had chosen to wear a dress that had no sleeves at all and almost seemed like something a younger girl would wear as it was frilly, even if it stopped halfway down her thighs, the white ribbon beneath her chest was tied in a bow and only gave the impression - in Mika’s mind, that it was a dress caught between being adult and being childish. She also wore a headband that matched the bow on her dress, a small bow decorated one side of the headband. Suzu, ever the tomboy, had come in a white shirt and black pants, a neon green coat covered the shirt. A jade necklace around her neck matched the jacket she wore, giving her a sort of odd elegance as it was certainly a mix between dressing like a guy but the jewelry was definitely a sign of the girl within.  

“W-what?” 

“Dude, you look hot.” As if she needed more of a reason for the blush already on her face...

“Yeah! You look amazing!! Where did you get that dress?” 

“I’ve had it for a while. I just never had the chance to wear it. I figured I might as well bring it out now.” She smiled, glad that her friends approved of it. That was only half the truth though, the boys hadn’t seen her in a dress yet; she wanted to see their reactions.  _ If I’m being truthful though... there’s only one whose reaction I truly wish to see... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that this is the continuation of the story from where Seduce Me: The Fall left off, this is the line of events if the player chooses to romance Erik. Also, because I altered the timeline of the story from when it actually takes place in the game, there are elements of the story that are in the game that do not appear in my story. The main character also reflects my thoughts on certain scenes and scenarios, most of which doesn't appear in the game as the player's character has some pre-set thoughts and actions in terms of her personality; since this is the case, and I don't really match up with the main character... I have changed much of the narrative (mostly added to it) of the original story to be more in line with my personality than the one that is given to the character.
> 
> As mentioned in the first part, this game is more restricted on actual player decisions than the sequel. Certain actions/thoughts in the game are there simply to either progress the story or to be the reason for a certain reaction out of another character. This being said, I hope you enjoy my rendition of this story. :)


	2. A Moment Before

Mika closed the door of her room behind her as she stepped out. As she walked down the hall to the grand lobby, the incubi were waiting for her at the bottom. All of them dressed to the nines as proper servants, each was a little different though, as if to suit their various personalities. While each was dressed in a tuxedo, James had a gold vest beneath his jacket that peeked out, Sam had a green waistband, Damien didn’t wear any color at all other than what seemed to be the normal tuxedo, Matthew had a bright blue vest... similar to James’ style, but it was Erik who drew her eyes the longest... if only for a mere fraction of a second. He stood out the most really with his shirt being a dark maroon beneath the jacket. The shirt complimented his him, without detracting from the rest of the tuxedo, despite standing out in color the silk seemed to suit him to magnificently. Still, she couldn’t help the blush that covered her face as Naomi spoke up behind her.

“Whoa!! They really know how to dress well, don’t they?” 

“Yeah....” She tried not to make it obvious that she was looking directly at Erik as her blush seemed to only deepen. She was slightly taken aback at how great the boys looked in uniform; each had the poise of a perfect gentleman, even Sam. They seemed to watch her as she made her way slowly down steps with Naomi and Suzu following her. She felt as if they were knights awaiting their princess, her. It didn’t help the flush on her cheeks, but she shook herself to try and regain her thoughts and be rid of such a ridiculous notion. She was no princess, despite Erik calling her one, and the boys before her were not knights. James stepped forward to take her hand and walked her down the final step with a smile.

“As beautiful as a princess, miss.”  _ Ah... not helping... but thanks James. _ Instead of saying what she thought she smiled.

“Thank you.” 

“So, are you prepared for tonight?” Honestly?

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” There was no denying her nerves, which were on edge about the entire thing, but she had to try. The party was more than what it seemed and she’d done all that she could to prepare for it in what little time her father had actually given her. Now, it was all up to fate. At least it seemed that way. She just hoped she could get through the night without fumbling for answers; there was no doubt in her mind that there would be questions coming from the company members attending. The other boys smiled assuringly at her, which made her feel a little better about everything and reminded her that she wasn’t really alone in this. She looked at her phone; almost as if on cue, the doorbell rang. She gulped, knowing that it was her parents; she could practically feel her father’s aura from behind the door. Sam and Erik rushed to the doors, opening the double doors wide to reveal her parents, both who were dressed in their best. Her father in the same tux he had worn to her grandfather’s funeral and her mother was in an elegant midnight blue dress that was modest, but still elegant.

“Hey mom. Hey dad.” 

“Oh my! I didn’t know your bequeathment came with servants....” 

“It was probably overlooked. Besides, who would deny good service?” Mika was completely shocked; her parents  **didn’t** questions the boys?! They didn’t ask for some type of verification or anything?!? She glanced to Sam and Erik, noticing that they were staring intently at her parents. Were they using their powers on them? Was that something they could do? She decided that it had to be. He rule had only been in terms of hurting guests, but in this case it was in a sort of self-defense... There was no way her parents would be okay with this otherwise.

“I guess the servants counted as belongings to the house.” She really did NOT want to hear that from her father. The boys weren’t possessions! How could he think such a thing?  _ Ugh... dad! Then again... he always did think less of those in positions below him... _ She sighed inwardly; at least it meant that the two weren’t going to cause any problems and likely any of the others who arrived wouldn’t question the boys either; likely assuming that they were hired servants, just as they seemed to act. Mika didn’t have much time to think on that though as her mother rushed to give her a big hug; she hugged her back and could smell perfume on her. It had only been a couple of days, but living away from the people who had raised her was hard. Her mother released her and took a step back to look at Mika’s attire. 

“Gorgeous. You look so lovely. David, look at your daughter and tell her I’m right.” Mika looked to her father, who was looking around the lobby like an inspector. She stood her ground, waiting for him to look at her as her mother had said to. When he did, he let a small smile grace his lips.

“Your mother’s right. You look like you’re all grown up.” The world around her seemed to stop as her heart pounded hard in her chest; had her dad just... complimented her? On his own accord? Her mother was grinning ear to ear at her husband’s words. She was beyond speechless for a moment, a blush on her cheeks, but soon that faded as she smiled and the world seemed to continue to go on again.

“Thank you, dad.” That was exactly what she’d been hoping for right? For her parents to see that she was now a young woman and not a child; however, his cold face quickly returned as he began to look around once again at everything. She wondered if he hated this place simply for the fact that it had once been her grandfather’s home. 

“I assume that you’re ready, then, to impress the rest of the guests, correct?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“The entire board from Anderson Toys is coming tonight. Even the Vice-Chairman’s son will be coming. All of them will be measuring your potential.” 

“My potential?” What ideas had he filled their heads with? 

“To become CEO of the company.”  _ Of course... I should have known.... _ She knew that something had been off about this party; it had become more than she’d anticipated. Gulping silently, she nodded in response before glancing over to the incubi, but they seemed too busy being ‘servants’ for her father’s approval to offer any reassurance like they had before. Not that she faulted them for the act, but even just a hint of assurance would have been nice. She glanced behind her to Naomi and Suzu who raised their thumbs at her for encouragement, causing her to let out a small breath as she felt herself accept the situation. She felt like a weight had been consumed and now settled in her gut, but she knew she had to hide it. As if time zoomed forward, all of the sudden the main hall of the lobby was full of guests; men and women in formal or business attire who showed up to meet her and see her new home. She didn’t expect many to come, but she was once again surprised that night as there was quite the crowd. She shook hands with many officials and executive members, putting on the professional face her dad had trained her to have all her life; she felt overwhelmed, but she hid it well behind a small smile and a handshake. Many even asked her questions and she did her best to reply as maturely as possible; she had to remember: say what they want to hear, not what you want to say.


	3. Party

Not that remembering that made it any easier to answer the questions that seemed to come at a rapid pace at times. It seemed that someone always had a question for her, whether it was about her future plans or about the company. Mika had to respond easily even while thinking fast about what it was each person wanted to hear rather than what she wished to say. She’d felt like the questions just came up one after the other, the ones that were the toughest to answer weren’t about herself, but the company. After what seemed like a long string of answering various things, eventually the questions stopped and she was able to go back to being herself. Naomi and Suzu mingled through the crowds while the incubi did their “jobs” of being servants; she was all alone in a room full of strangers. It was unnerving to think about, but at least she wasn’t being questioned left and right anymore, being required to give answers that were half truths or not even true at all. Suddenly Mika saw her mother push her way through the crowd to her, bringing along someone that she didn’t know, a young man who looked to be around her age with sandy blonde hair and kind golden brown eyes.

“Honey, I’d like to introduce you to someone! This kind gentleman is the son of the Vice-Chairman.”  From what she could see, he was likely only a couple years older than she, herself, was. He held out his hand to her, silently asking for her hand with a smile. 

“Hi, I’m Andrew Lewis. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Crosstar.” She took his hand with a smile of her own. Instead of giving a handshake, however, he raised her hand to his lips and placed a kiss over her knuckles. She felt her face burn slightly at the gesture; Andrew smiled at her before releasing her hand. 

“I’m honored to be invited here.” Her mother smiled at the both of them, which made Mika slightly concerned. Why was she excited to introduce her to Andrew? 

“So, um... you organized this party very well, Ms. Anderson.”

“Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome. Praise is very much deserved.” He then chuckled nervously, bringing a soft fist up to his lips to cover his laugh properly before smiling at her. 

“I’m sorry if I seem a little forward, haha. I’ve just been excited to meet Harold Anderson’s granddaughter.”  _ Is that all I am to everyone here? Just “Harold Anderson’s granddaughter” ?  _ Still, she was curious as to why he seemed so eager to meet her. Why anyone was really.

“Huh? Why?” 

“He used to talk about you all the time in the office on how you helped him refine his toys. I only attended meetings and heard all of the stories. You’ve helped a lot with the success of the company without having to actually work there, haha!”  _ I did?  _

“Oh, wow... I didn’t know he talked about me...” That explained everyone’s fascination with her and the rather personal questions. She looked at Andrew, who showed a kind face in return; something about him seemed off and she didn’t know what it was. He seemed to be hiding something. Whether it was good or bad, but she was not able to find out because her father chose at that moment to appear, much to her annoyance. She glanced over her shoulder at him, he was giving Andrew his cold stare and she could see that Andrew was suddenly tense because of it. 

“So, you’re Jared’s son?” Had she a knife to cut air with... she’d be able to as thick as the tension suddenly became; not to mention almost frigid. Why did her father have to do that with everyone who was around her? Andrew seemed to twitch slightly; whether it was fear or insult she wasn’t sure as he locked eyes with her father. She couldn’t help but feel the tension grow between them. It irked her just how fragile the air had become so suddenly, enough to break at a single wrong word. 

“You’re the one who wants to be the next CEO of the Anderson company?” That question annoyed her to no end.

“Well...” Yet she waited to see what Andrew would say to such a blatant question. This guy wanted to take her grandfather’s place as CEO? She had thought that the Vice-Chairmen wanted the position... or was it that he was being pushed towards it like she was? 

“David, leave the poor boy alone.” Mika felt some relief in that she wasn’t the only one irritated by her father’s choice of words; especially at his response.

“I’m merely testing the boy’s conversational skills. Nothing wrong with that.”  _ No, but you’re practically accusing him of wanting to be the CEO, the same position you’re forcing ME into! _ She fumed inwardly. 

“Of course not, sir.” 

“And polite as well. Interesting.” Interesting? Could he  **be** any more insulting?!

“I-if you’ll excuse me...” He quickly retreated from her parents into the crowd of people. Feeling ashamed, annoyed and angered by her father, Mika quickly followed him, wanting to be sure that he was alright. She felt a little embarrassed that her father had put him on the spot like that. She at least felt she needed to apologize. It was her party after all, he’d had no right to do that. They wound up outside. The stars danced on the grass as they stood in the backyard of the mansion. It had been her first time in years being out there, but her thoughts were on the nostalgia of the moment. 

“Hey, Andrew?” He turned to her in surprise; however, his face was completely red in embarrassed humiliation; she felt even worse. 

“Oh, I- um... I didn’t see you or hear you following. Sorry.” 

“No, no, it's fine. I should be the one to apologize.” 

“What for? You didn’t do anything wrong.” 

“I mean for the way my dad behaved... He shouldn’t have been so...” What was the right word? 

“Oh no! No, it’s fine! I mean... I should have expected it and been more prepared, haha!” He rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a goofy grin, not too unlike the one Matthew had given her earlier that evening. It was intriguing, seeing Andrew’s professional side and then seeing a goofy smile, away from everyone else. 

“Still, I’m sorry for that.” She felt she needed to say that, he seemed like he had a good heart. 

“It’s not a problem, really, but thank you.” The two of them smiled at each other before she reached out her hand to him. He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow in confusion. 

“Mika. My name is Mika.” Understanding replaced the confusion quickly and his smile returned before he took her hand and gently shook it. 

“That’s a pretty name. I’m happy to know it now.” 

“Nah, it’s not that nice.” 

“I have to disagree with you. It’s much better than ‘Andrew.’ I mean, who names their kid Andrew?” 

“A lot of people do!” 

“But what about ‘Axel’? Or ‘Ace’? Something cool like that?” She couldn’t help but laugh; he was pretty chill for a guy who was supposed to be a Vice-Chairman’s son. He grinned and laughed along with her. She didn’t know why, but she felt warm. Whether it was the almost non-existent breeze or the sudden situation they found themselves in... It felt... nice.

“Lewis.” The sound of her father’s voice startled her, and just like that, the feeling had vanished. They both turned to see her father at the doors of the mansion, staring at Andrew with what looked like a deadly glare... if looks could kill. Andrew straightened up, trying to maintain a business posture. 

“Y-yes sir?” 

“Your limo is in the front. The driver has requested that you return home. Now.” 

“Oh. A-alright. Thank you, sir.” Andrew quickly nodded to her before speeding back into the mansion to leave. As she took a step to follow him, her father stepped in front of her to block her way.  

“Dad...”  _ Now _ what was he doing? 

“I don’t want to hear it. Do not become friendly with him. He wants to take the company away from us. You have no reason to be friends with him.” Before she could retort, he turned away and walked back inside, muttering about how the party was nearing an end. That didn’t stop her from glaring daggers into his back. Since when did he have the right to tell her who she could and couldn’t become friends with! She didn’t care if Andrew wanted the company, he was at least  _ nice _ about it! He’d treated her like a person, like the boys had, not like some trophy doll to dress up, show off to others like a prize and push into a life she might not even want without as much as a ‘by your leave’! She couldn’t remember being quite so angry with him at any time before her grandfather had passed. 


	4. Malix Arrives

With a sigh, she entered the house as well, wanting the party to end immediately; she was sick of her father already and it had only been a couple of hours. Eventually only Suzu, Naomi, her parents, and the incubi were left. Her father walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder with a smile; she stared up at him, a wave of confusion washing over her face. 

“What?” 

“You did good tonight. I’m proud.” 

“O-oh! ... Thank you, dad.” 

“Keep it up and you’ll be a good CEO.” 

“Oh... right.”  _ Not that again.... _

“Alright. Your mother and I have to leave. I’m sure Naomi and Suzu need to leave as well. Just because it’s Saturday doesn’t mean you should stay up all night.”  _ After all  _ this...  _ hardly my plan. _

“O-oh! Right!” Not like she could ever say her thoughts aloud to her father, that would go poorly. Naomi walked over to her first.

“Thanks for having us! It was a great party.” 

“We’ll come visit tomorrow or something, alright?” 

“Right. See ya!” She smiled as her friends moved to the door.

“Goodnight, sweetie. Come visit us soon.” 

“Will do.” All four of them left the building, all but her father waving back to her. With the last of the guests gone, Mika sighed and sat on the staircase, exhausted. The incubi gathered over near her. 

“Phew... That was tiring...” 

“It’s not like you had to do any work, though.” Of course Sam would say that. 

“Give her a break, man. She was getting interrogated left and right!”  _ Thanks Matthew... _

“She handled herself the best she could.” Damien added.

“As expected, princess.” She couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Since you’re exhausted, why not head to bed? We can clean up.”

“Ughhhh!!!” 

“Hush, Sam.” Erik gently rebuked him. 

“Are you guys sure?” 

“Positive. It shouldn’t take long!” Matthew always did seem the most upbeat of them, his smile was infectious. 

“Oh-ho-ho! It didn’t take long to find you little shits, after all!” Her mouth dropped open in surprise... she knew that voice! It appeared the boys did as well. She felt a hot shudder go down her spine; it was the voice from her dreams! She looked around, panicked, alongside the incubi. James place a hand on her shoulder, trying to remain calm. 

“Don’t worry. No one will hurt you.” He said evenly.

“Are you sure? Are you  _ really _ sure?” Their heads shot towards the doors, finally pinning down the direction of the voice. The doors swung open quickly, revealing a sight Mika would never have expected to see. A young man stood, skin red as blood, black and gold eyes piercing into hers from beneath a mop of white hair, roughened-up clothes and a pistol in his hand; she saw a monster. A hand covered her mouth so not to scream at the sight. Dried blood covered the red bandana round his neck as he smirked at the group. Beside him was a similar looking woman in matching thug-like clothes with red eyes beneath flame-like hair.

“Awww, what’s the matter, boys? You really didn’t think I wouldn’t find you, did you?” 

“I hoped you would, you piece of-” Sam didn’t get a chance to finish as the man raised his gun at Sam’s face and instantly pulled the trigger. A shot rang out through the air, everyone gasped in shock, expecting to see a bullet run through Sam’s face... but... 

“Wha... What the fuck?!” Nothing had happened. 

“W-wha...” Sam was just as shocked as everyone else. Why hadn’t the gun worked? What should have been a headshot ended with a loud, but empty blank shot. The pistol echoed it's empty shots as the man grew more and more pissed, pulling the trigger over and over in aggravation. Luckily, for Mika’s ears, it became quieter after the first shot. 

“Why the fuck won’t you work?!” 

“This place is protected.” Damien spoke up. 

“What did you say, shrimp?!” 

“This place has a seal, protecting it from Hell-borne magic.” 

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!” Mika thought about it a moment, she didn’t fully understand herself, but she sort of grasped the idea. Sort of like some element from some of the fantasy comics Suzu read every once and a while. The man growled and threw his gun at Sam who ducked in time. The pistol bounced off the ground a couple of times before sliding further away, hitting the wall in a final stop; once it stopped moving it faded into black flame that then disappeared into the air. 

“The previous owner had this place protected by magic, Malix.” Matthew replied, Mika could see that he was just as ready to fight as the other boys were if it came to that. She’d never seen Matthew angry until now. Malix. That was his name. His existence resonated in her memory from the dream that she’d had; yet she looked at Matthew with the same confusion that Malix did. Her grandfather had the place protected by magic? How had he? How had he known? 

“This place is protected by... magic?” 

“It would seem that your grandfather had some sort of protective barrier put around this house. From the looks of it, it only disables Hell-borne magic.” James put in, could he actually  **see** the magic? If so... could the others? Malix’s face was soon overcome with extreme anger, his fists tightening at his sides as if he was crushing a stress ball and Mika had a feeling that if he didn’t feel out matched... he might have resorted to punching. 

“Then what’s stopping me from dragging YOUR ASSES OUT AND SHOOTING YOU THEN?!” What indeed? Out of pure instinct that surged through her, Mika stepped forward, placing herself between Malix and the boys. With no power, Malix couldn’t really fight and she took that chance to stand up to him instead of being powerless like she’d been in the dream.

“Leave. Them. Alone.” Malix stared wide-eyed at her words. She could almost feel the boys do the same from behind her; then Malix smirked and leaned in nose to nose with her. 

“And just who the fuck are you?” 

“That’s none of your concern.” 

“You got a big mouth, nameless bitch. You best be careful who you speak to.” As if sensing his intention, she ducked underneath Malix’s incoming hand as it shot out. She stared at his hand, and the black flame tattoo embedded on it,in surprise as she took a couple steps back from him. Matthew and Damien instantly stepped in front of her, guarding her from a second attack from Malix. 

“Hehehe. A quick one! I’m liking you more and more!” 

“Back off, Malix!” 

“Don’t start acting tough, you pathetic excuse of a demon. You need more protection than her...” Mika gritted her teeth at the implication. 

“Shut up!!”

“Awww, did I make the little Matthew cry? Why don’t you just GROW A PAIR?!” She glared daggers at Malix from where she stood behind Matthew and Damien as Matthew growled in response. Far as she was concerned, Malix wasn’t even half the man Matthew was. 

“Enough, Malix!” The woman spoke up; she’d been standing in silence the whole time; she planted a firm hand on Malix’s shoulder and he looked back at her with a growl and a glare that might kill if looks could.

“Since when did you get the guts to speak out of place?!” 

“We both know you’ve never controlled me. I want them dead just like you do, but now’s not the time.” 

“Fuck off. I know what I’m doing.” 

“Do you? Even if you did fight them, there’s five against two. We’d never win.” The she-devil... thing... spoke the exact words that Mika was thinking of just then. This wasn’t a fight in his favor. He’d have to be an idiot to attack them.

“SHUT UP!” 

“LET’S GO, MALIX! WE’RE WASTING OUR TIME!” The two growled at each other; if they could have used their magic, she swore she could sense that fire would have glowed from under their teeth as they glared at one another. Malix grunted and turned to glare back at the boys. He pointed at James, as if wanting to use his fingers like a knife or something like it. He laughed.

“Just wait, pretty boys. We’ll get you and fuck you up  **real** good. Ahahahaha!!” Malix then turned to her, moving his finger to point directly between her eyes.

“And don’t think you’re safe. Mm-mm... Step outside. I  _ dare _ you! Wahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!” The two then walked out of the mansion; the doors closed behind them by some invisible force, leaving the boys and Mika alone once again. It was official. This night had just gotten worse.


	5. A Dream

She felt her knees give out from under her, forcing the boys to move quickly to catch her to make sure she didn’t fall.

“Whoa, whoa! Are you alright?” She was too tired from the stress to really register that it was Sam who had spoken.

“Y-yeah... why was he here?”

“He’s been closely tracking us... Our blood trail from the forest must have led him here.” Damien replied, he looked ready to release a sigh at any moment. Matthew growled a little in irritation.

“We should have stopped him and finished it here...”

“For once, Matthew, I agree with you.” Sam said, it was odd to hear. She stood up and rubbed her arms, feeling goosebumps left from Malix being so close. She couldn’t stop herself from shivering in a bit of fear of his words.

“Malix... was he... a demon?” Uncertainty rang in her tone. What had she gotten herself into?

“That son-of-a-bitch is not a demon. He’s a devil.”

“A devil? There’s a difference?”

“Yes. Demons come from a different plane of existence called the Abyssal Plains. Devils, however, come from one of the seven circles of a place humans know as Hell. Despite us not being human, we are very different creatures.” She could hear the disgust in Erik’s tone, it wasn’t like him at all... but then again this night had been anything but normal.

“We actually have brains for one.” Sam seemed to take up the rest of the reply, as if it were needed.

“Devils always like to cause trouble and try to kill or torture others for their own enjoyment. Demons like us know when to use our powers and when not to. We’re not stupid.”

“Devils follow orders from higher ups in their order and their powers only comes from their connection to Hell. Demons all have free wills and don’t rely on where they come from to use their powers.” Matthew was the next to speak up; that was odd, were they taking turns or something? This was all so confusing. Demons, devils and magic all existed and she had happened to manage to land smack dab in the middle of it all.

“What do we do..?”

“You’re safe. You’ve been protected as well.” Damien spoke up again, she was a little surprised James hadn’t said anything yet. Apparently he was content to let his brothers speak up. Wait... protected?

“What?”

“What Damien’s saying is that the magic that protects this place also protects you.” Matthew answered, great... so they were taking turns answering her questions. Finally James spoke up, answering one of the questions she’d thought of earlier but had nearly forgotten until now.

“Your grandfather must have cast it when you last saw him or something of that nature. We can sense it's aura around your body.” She couldn’t believe her ears. This was the third day of surprises and this one took the cake! She felt her head beginning to spin as her mind tried to comprehend all of what she’d just been told. What had she gotten herself into...?

“Miss, please don’t worry. We’ll find a way to train ourselves and become stronger to finally finish this feud.” She glanced from James to the other boys who seemed to share the same opinion on that score. Sam growled.

“I wanna kick his ass **right** now.” She didn’t blame him for that, she’d felt the same way when he’d threatened the boys. _I’ve only known them for a couple of days and yet they’re already like family to me... how can this be?_ She wondered silently.

“Until then, we’ll protect you as much as we can. If Malix comes back, we’ll be here for you.” Erik added and she smiled a little at his reassurance. She knew from their expressions that the boys were all in agreeance, they would help protect her... but she couldn’t simply stay shut up in the mansion.

“But what about going outside? Won’t he...?” She trailed off, she still had to go to school and there was no way she’d be excused from it on the premise that she was in danger from a devil. No one would believe it.

“Like we said, you have a protection spell on you. Even if Malix attacks you, he won’t be able to use his magic on you. He’d be just like any other human you can fight back against.” She looked back over at Matthew, that was only mildly reassuring; if it was just Malix, she could take him, but what if he brought reinforcements or got ahold of a non-magic weapon? Fighting against Malix might not be the best option then.

“Didn’t you say you knew taekwondo?”

“Well, yeah.” She looked at Sam; even so, that skill would be next to useless if he brought weapons like guns to the fight. While she felt somewhat relieved that she was mostly safe from Malix she still could not help but feel very nervous and apprehensive about the future. The boys were safe here to train and become stronger, but what if Malix did the same? That too, was a problem. She was lost about how her grandfather knew about magic, he’d never seemed to indicate that he did; she knew that she would have to find out. At least time was on her side. She went to bed that night feeling nervous despite the reassuring words of the incubi; she felt like a target to something she’d never be able to explain or prove to anyone else. Magic? Devils? Demons? How did all this even happen? Should she really meddle with the situation further?

“They are only staying until after they defeat Malix...” She muttered to herself as she prepared for bed. The thought struck her hard moments later. _That’s right... They said they’d only stay until after they defeated him. After that, my life will go back to normal... Temporary insanity, as K would say..._ The question was, then, would she **want** them to leave? If her life went back to normal, then she’d have to care for the house all on her own; she’d get to focus on her life instead of being distracted by the boys. She’d have to. There’d be no choice once they were gone.

“My life...” She muttered to herself.Where _was_ her life going anyway? She was under pressure from her parents with only her friends and the boys to comfort her. Without the boys, she’d have no way to hide from her ‘responsibilities’... She shook the thoughts from her head.

“I’ll just sleep and deal with tomorrow when it comes.” Defeating her sense of thought, she forced herself to sleep, unsure of what tomorrow had planned; hopefully, whatever the future had for her, she would be ready for it. She closed her eyes then and drifted off.

“I promise to be with you forever...”

“You’re so important to me...”

“I swear I’ll give my life to you.”

“Please, let me love you.”

“I’ll be by your side. Always.”

“I can’t imagine living without you!”

“I want to be with you.”

“I love you.” Mika slowly opened her eyes, letting the voices of her dream echo in her head and force her awake. She rubbed her eyes before sitting up and looking at the clock, even as curiosity filled her; what had that been about? Each of the voices had been different and while they had said different things, she had a feeling that.. In some way or another, they had all meant the same thing. The last of the voices had said it plainly. She almost did a double take. _7 am... Why am I up so early...?_ She shook away the memory of the dream for now as she fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep; however, something kept her awake. What and why?

“It’s too early to even be alive...” She grumbled at the thing keeping her awake, there was no response; not that she expected there to be. After several minutes she gave up trying to get back to sleep and sat up, staring at the fireplace from across her bed. A sigh escaped from her before she threw her legs over the side of the bed. What to do at seven in the morning... After a moment’s thought she decided it might be a good idea to wander around the house. She never really explored it much as a child, so there were bound to be new surprises. She stood and left the room without changing, she hoped the boys were still asleep or running into one of them could turn awkward real quick. Not that her night clothes weren’t modest enough, but... it just wasn’t proper. She shoved the thought away, she’d deal with that if and when it happened; for now she began to wander the halls at her end of the house, opening each door to find what room each of them led to. After a few doors she found an old office. A desk and chair sat by the far side as a large bookshelf of documents and memorabilia donned it's nooks and crannies. There were some pictures of her growing up peeking form the shelf as she walked further into the room. She didn’t think she’d been here before and when she tried to recall memories of it she came up with nothing as a result. This room was new to her. Did she really want to disturb the furniture? She nodded to herself, gently opening the shelves and any drawers that she saw in the room. In a couple of them were books and even sewing kits. She assumed they were used for her grandfather’s toys and so she left them alone. One drawer, however, was locked; no matter how many times she tried to pull it open.

“Why is this locked?” It wouldn’t budge. The drawer beside it did open, revealing a laptop inside. Why was there a laptop, of all things, in a drawer? She lifted it from it's place in the drawer and carried it over to the desk, sitting down she opened it. It was a high-tech laptop with a retina scanner as a passlock. She was not sure whether to try to unlock it or not. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to try would it? Nothing ventured, nothing gained... as the saying went. So she turned the computer on and leaned her face near the retina scanner, carefully lining the camera up with her eye. To her surprise, she heard a ping come from the computer and she pulled back to see the screen open to a desktop.

“Huh. Look at that.” She muttered. There were documents and folders, all labeled with different aspects of the Anderson company. ‘Taxes,’ ‘Profits,’ ‘Bylaws,’ ‘Products;’ the list went on and on. If she really did decide that she wanted to become the CEO of the Anderson Toys Company, she had everything about it all at her fingertips right here...  Her father would be impressed.


	6. Out and About

One of the icons, however, stood out from the rest. Vorago. What could that mean? Curious, she double clicked it, but no window came up; instead, she heard a large click come from the drawer that was locked. She nearly jumped in surprise and looked over at the drawer... what the? Slowly she got up and walked over to the drawer, attempting to open it once more. It slid open smoothly, revealing two books inside. One was a plain black journal with a tie around it to keep it closed. The other was leatherbound with cryptic symbols all over the cover. Had she found the secret to how her grandfather knew about magic? She took out the journal and skimmed through it, seeing her grandfather’s notes inside. They were all detailed explanations and opinions on his findings on demon magic. This was proof that her grandfather really did know about magic. She took the journal back to the desk to read through it further, finding drawings and sketches of symbols and magic circles, each with their own different meanings and effects. It was all fascinating. There was even a page with a list of important spells to know. She read through them, trying to ingrain each of them into her mind. She didn’t know what came over her, but she started to feel more energetic and powerful simply by reading her grandfather’s notes. She was suddenly aware of the energy that surrounded her body and the power that was around the house, protecting it. The more she read the notes, the more powerful she seemed to become; however, her mind suddenly froze and she found herself walking back to the drawer, putting the book back, and closing the drawer. The lock reset and she snapped out of it. 

“Huh? What?” She shook her head, looking at the drawer as she realized what it was she had done. She walked over to the desk, back to the computer to reopen the lock, but suddenly felt the need to stop. Something held her back and didn’t want her to pry anymore than she already had. She was curious beyond belief about this now, but she obeyed the nudge she felt at her thoughts. Eventually she would come back and look into it further, but for now it was fine. She returned to bed, feeling the weight of the morning drag her back under her covers to try to sleep again. She had energy, but she wanted more sleep now. It was Sunday and nothing was happening today. So she shut her eyes and tried to slow her breathing; feeling herself begin to relax, she thanked her lucky stars that she hadn’t run into one of the boys. When she looked at her phone to check the time again she found that it was noon; yet she felt like she’d slept for much longer than that. 

“Why is time going so slowly?” She muttered to herself; with a sigh she got up and changed in a button up shirt with a blue vest over it and pulled on some blue jeans. As a last minute thought, she grabbed a navy blue ribbon and tied it around her neck into a bow. After giving her reflection a quick glance to make sure she looked decent, she headed out into the main hall and sat on the stairs. Sundays were very boring usually; however, the muffled sounds of battle caught her attention. Wondering what could be going on, she hurried down the steps and out to the back yard where she had heard the noise coming from. What she saw made her smile a little in relief; all five of the boys were practicing fighting. Sam was currently in the middle with the other four surrounding him, throwing punches and kicks at him. Sam, being the strongest of the bunch, blocked and dodged each of the attacks almost masterfully. After watching them a moment she decided it was probably best not to disturb them; they were very much in their own little world, focusing on the training. James had said the night before that they would train, so she didn’t want to interrupt; instead, she headed back inside and checked the time when she arrived in the kitchen. She was getting hungry and she was sure the boys would need to eat soon themselves, so lunch was a must. It had been a while since she’d cooked anything. She might as well make lunch for them all today, after all hadn’t they done most of the cooking and such since they’d arrived? It only seemed right that she do something for them while they were busy doing all they could to help protect her and lunch wasn’t particularly hard to make. She looked in the various cupboards and fridge before she decided on what to make. The boys would need to keep up their strength if they were going to train again after lunch, so a simple meal of chicken and rice would be a good choice. The protein would keep up both their energy and their strength. She took her time to make almost perfect chicken breasts alongside the rice. Cooking wasn’t hard unless you didn't know what you were doing in the first place. Once done, she placed the food in the dining room; however, none of the boys were there by the time she’d finished bringing out the final plate with the meal on it. She carried that dish to the main lobby only to catch sight of the boys separating into different rooms of the house. She wondered what was up with that. Part of her wanted to go to one in particular. The other part of her wanted to just leave them be and take the food in her hand to her room to eat. Maybe she could go out today while the boys focused on training; but if she did that, she’d miss an opportunity to be alone with Erik. She knew what she wanted to do and quickly rushed back to grab a second food dish before hunting down one of the boys; she wasn’t sure which one she’d find though. She returned to the backyard, hoping to find an incubus still there. Luckily, her gut feeling was right. Erik was beside the gazebo, looking at a small flower that was growing on the railing of it. As she approached, he turned his head and smiled his usual smile. 

“Hello, princess.” 

“Hey, Erik. I got you some lunch.”  

“ _ Really _ ? You did not have to do that, princess.” Why did he seem so surprised? It wasn’t like she’d asked him out on a date or anything. Was it really so unusual for someone to do something like this for him or something? 

“No, no! It’s fine. Here.” He smiled and took the food, eating a little bit before looking at the flower again. Out of curiosity, she looked at well. It was a simple white daisy in full bloom. He shook his head and chuckled softly as she joined him in flower gazing.

“Sorry. I was simply reminded of home.” 

“Huh? Oh, no! You’re fine, haha. What about home were you reminded of?” He looked to the sky with a soft sigh and a smile before looking at the flower again.

“The castle, mainly. Despite us not being there anymore, it was still our home. We grew up there our entire lives as brothers. There wasn’t a day that went by when we weren’t all doing something exciting. It was an empty excitement, but it was still something that bonded us all together.” He trailed off slightly, looking lost in the nostalgia of his thoughts; she didn’t know if she wanted to bother him while he remembered something so obviously important. 

“Please, tell me more?” He turned to her again with a slight surprised look. That only further intrigued her; was he not used to talking about himself or something? Or was it merely the fact she was showing interest in him? 

“You wish to know more?” 

“Why not? I’m really curious about the place you lived in.” He nodded before looking at the flower again; after a second, he gained a look of realization before looking over at her again.


	7. Sight to Behold

“Would you like me to show you something, instead?” She tilted her head in confusion, but nodded nonetheless. What she was expecting could not have prepared her for what she saw. He gently brushed his fingers against the petals of the daisy, making it gently quake at his touch. As the daisy abnormally shivered, its petals shifted from white to purple and the yellow center faded to a pink hue as the stem began to burn black. She could only stare as Erik plucked the flower from its place and presented it to her.

“Watch closely.” She kept her eyes on the flower as Erik began to mutter something. It sounded close to Latin, but she wasn’t sure. Regardless, the flower began to glow in Erik’s hand. Small crystal-like spores floated up from the pink center and began to form a circle in the air. As the circle closed, the center filled with smoke, forming a screen of some sort. It was misty, so she couldn’t see anything...

“What is this?” 

“Just watch.” She raised an eyebrow at him but followed his instructions; eventually, the mist faded away, revealing a large throne room. It was made of stone and tile with the throne itself covered in red fabric and gold metal. Despite it being a mere image in a magic mirror, she felt small looking at the sight of the throne room. 

“Wow... that looks amazing...”

“That’s our castle. It’s a wonderful place, servants and parties galore.” 

“Does your father sit on the throne when he’s at the parties?” 

“Hahaha, very much so. He despises dancing and socializing, so he makes the throne his home.” 

“Do you think he’s still there now?” She realized that she must have struck a small chord with Erik because he hesitated before answering. He smiled only slightly.

“We don’t know. When we left, we didn’t look back. However, we’re sure he’s still there, since no one followed us out of the Abyssal Plains.” She bit her lip. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked; she felt really bad, however, she didn’t feel it for long. The magic suddenly stopped and faded away while Erik dropped the daisy. As the daisy turned back to it's white and yellow color, Erik dropped to one knee, groaning in pain.  

“Erik! Are you alright?” 

“Y-yes, princess. I’m fine. I just used too much energy, that’s all.” She could hear the strain in his voice from the pain of it. She dropped to one knee to try and examine Erik closer. His face was pale while his violet eyes shifted back and forth between purple and gold. His breath was heavy, which concerned her. He used too much energy? That meant he needed more. 

“Please don’t worry, princess. I-I’m fine. Don’t worry your beautiful head about it...” She couldn’t help but worry, however; she felt responsible. She had to help. She quickly grabbed Erik’s face and tilted his head to angle with her own; shifting herself closer, she brought her lips to his and kissed him deeply. She didn’t know if this would help, but it was how he got energy before. She shut her eyes, waiting for the draining feeling to reappear in her body. Erik, however, grabbed her shoulders and forced her back. She opened her eyes and stared into his frightened golden eyes in surprise. At the same time, she noticed a pink hue run across his face. 

“Princess, what are you doing?” She didn’t know why, but she felt both irritated and accomplished at the question and the look he was giving her. Where was his flirting? Where was his cocky smirk? From what she remembered, he took advantage of her when they had met, yet now he was somehow acting... inferior... to her. She grabbed his hands and removed them from her shoulders, tangling her fingers with his. 

“I’m trying to help and give you some of my energy. You used your energy to show me that sight, so I want to pay you back for that. Unless you don’t want me to help.” 

“Well, I-I-I’ve already taken your energy once before, I just-” 

“That was before. I want to give you energy now. Just let me.” All of the sudden she felt the familiar feeling of warmth run through her body once again. Her body heat up as Erik quickly released her hands and wrapped them around her waist, dropping to both knees in front of her. He stared at her with desire in his gaze as he pulled her body to his. Erik leaned his forehead to hers, letting the tips of their noses gently caress each other as he spoke.

“You spoil me...” Before she knew it, she was on top of him as he lay on the grass below. She stared, wide-eyed, as he pulled her into a hot and passionate kiss with a gentle hand on the back of her head. Erik’s other hand rested on the small of her back while she rested her hands on his chest. She moved to straddle his hips to be comfortable in the kiss. The energy from her body was slowly draining, making her feel light and warm. It was almost pitiful how comfortable and willing she was in this situation. Still, she held no regrets. She was enjoying every bit of this kiss. While he held her, he gently rolled them both over so that he was on top of her, kissing her hotly and holding her tightly. She was tempted to wrap her legs around him, but she remained focused on the kiss. It was better on the bottom anyway, with her energy slowly fading from her body; however, the draining filling suddenly stopped as Erik pulled away and looked down at her. She stared up at him as they both panted for air; she had never kissed like that before and was so lost in the moment that she’d forgotten how to breathe. Erik, however, didn’t move from her, but moved a strand of hair from her face, his eyes still full of desire. 

“I’m completely full... and yet, I still desire you...” She felt the hold of his mind-altering spell fade away, but she still felt hot. Something told her that she wanted more, but at the same time, she wasn’t sure if she truly did want to give any more. She’d opened the opportunity and she was enjoying it as much as he was; she wanted more and she was going to let him keep going. She  **wanted** him to keep going. She reached up, pulled him down, and kissed him, giving him silent approval to keep going. She could feel him pull on the tail of her bow, releasing it and it followed his hand off from around her neck; he moved the ribbon to the ground beside her before gently unbuttoning the top buttons of her blouse, stopping at the buttons above her stomach. The desire in her body drove her insane, forcing a moan to escape her lips as he trailed kisses from her lips to her exposed neck. As he ravished her neck and shoulder in hot kisses, she leaned her neck back against the grass and let a pleasureful sigh escape. Erik was ruthless in his passionate kisses on her skin; he didn’t stop touching and kissing her, making more moans and gasps rush out of her mouth and into the open air. He was full, but he was as hot as she was. She couldn’t comprehend how much time they spent making out; she was so lost in the pleasure that she didn’t care. Call it sinful, but she didn’t care; she loved it: his touch, his kiss, his heat. There was just something about him that tugged her towards him, like metal to a magnet. She desired it beyond anything at that moment, even as he lowered his kisses down to her chest just above her bra. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest; something about Erik intrigued her immensely, but there was also something that made her heart quicken for him. It couldn’t have been love... but it was too passionate to be mere lust... What was it? She didn’t have time to wonder as she began to feel dizzy; seeing the sky start to spin almost wildly, she gripped onto Erik’s shoulders, trying to signal him to stop, to tell him that something was wrong but her mind faded to black before she could utter another sound.    


	8. Power in Names

She felt good. She didn’t care that she’d blacked out; she felt warm and fuzzy in the darkness. She never knew that indulging in that kind of passion would be that good. She now just wanted to awaken, hopefully in a good way. Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the sights around her. She felt the familiar silks beneath her, letting her know that she was back in her bed. She slowly sat up, stretching from the tiredness that still lingered. She felt a very soft pain in her neck and shoulders and could feel her swollen lips pulse gently. When she looked down, however, she saw that her shirt had been re-buttoned as if nothing had happened between her and Erik. She was just missing her ribbon. As she moved to get out of bed, though, she spotted her ribbon on the pillow beside the one she’d slept on. It was tied in a nice bow around the daisy Erik had picked, with a small note attached to it. She gently slipped the note from the tie and opened it to read it: 

 

You’ve spoiled me, my princess. I am eternally grateful that you let me indulge like that. Have a good rest.

  
  


She stared at the note, letting a small smile grace her lips. Spoiled him? She enjoyed it, despite the first time’s circumstance. It was sort of cute, though, to imagine him thanking her for something they’d both done and enjoyed. She brought the daisy to her nose and gently inhaled it's soft fragrance, letting the memories of their first meeting flood her mind. 

“I indulged myself too, Erik...” She set the letter on her nightstand as she looked at the time. The numbers on her phone showed that it was 5:31 pm. 

“Yikes... Four hours of being knocked out... and I  _ still _ feel tired...” She wondered if that was normal. It was Sunday, though, so she was allowed to sleep longer if she wanted to... she felt it was a good idea to and slipped beneath the covers again for a brief nap. The rest of the evening passed by, surprisingly uneventful. The boys continued to train with each other, but were kind enough to stop to make her dinner and she was glad for that. Unsurprisingly, the food they made was perfect, but it felt a little empty without the boys to eat with her. She’d concluded that, mostly likely, they had already eaten, but still she felt lonely. It was a little strange how easily she had gotten used to their presence here; like they had always been around rather than having just dropped in so suddenly only a few days ago. She knew she couldn’t let it bother her, that it did at all surprised her; she merely ate though and went back to her room to study and sleep, not bothering the boys. She felt good going to bed that night; feeling like she could have a peaceful sleep, which was welcome after the previous rough nights she’d had. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt good. She drifted to sleep only to wake up almost flawlessly the next morning. No grogginess, no aches; perfectly energized and bright-eyed. 

“Man, how long has it been since I got that much good sleep?” She mused aloud. She looked at her alarm clock; she’d woken up ten minutes before her alarm. It must be her lucky day today. It was about time! Karma owed her some good luck! After all she’d gone through in merely a handful of days, she deserved it. Ecstatic for the day ahead, she turned off her alarms before they could ring and got dressed. Today was going to be a great day, she could feel that it was going to be. She checked the time, 6:30, she had more than enough time to eat breakfast before it would be time to head off to class. She packed her bag and carried it downstairs towards the kitchen. As she entered the dining room, however, she saw a plate with eggs, toast, and bacon sitting on the table. A fresh steaming cup of coffee also sat next to it with some sugar and creamer on the side. She walked to the table, unable to believe what she was seeing. Someone had made her breakfast.  

“Who made this...?” She muttered aloud in curiosity, but none of the boys were around to answer. They didn’t have to be though as a small, red note caught her attention. She sat down to read it:

 

Have a good day.

 

Yours

  
  


Her heart skipped a beat. She could tell it was from one of the boys. Was it maybe from... him? The thought of Erik made her heart begin to race a little inside her chest and a light blush covered her cheeks. She smiled and put the note into her bag before she ate. The food was so delicious that she devoured every amazing bite faster than she had thought possible. She put the plate away and looked at the time once more; it was time to go now. She wouldn’t have time to leave a thank you note this time around. She made a mental note to do so when she got home to whoever had made her breakfast. She rushed to the doors, checking herself in a passing mirror. She wasn’t wanting to impress anyone, but she knew she still needed to look decent; before she could reach the handle of the door, however, someone took her hand.

“Huh?” She paused and turned to see Erik, who was holding her hand back with a concerned frown on his face.

“My name...” 

“Your name...?”

“My TRUE name isn’t Erik, miss... I want you to know my real name if something were to happen.” His true name? What did he mean? Why was he telling her this now? After a moment she remembered reading about a demon’s name from the journal she’d read the day before... If you knew a demon’s true name, you could summon them to you, no matter where you where or where they were. Erik gently pulled her to him and leaned close to whisper into her ear.

“My name is Uzaeris.” As he said it, she could feel it lock into her memory; something in her mind would make sure that she would never forget it. She was almost certain that something was magic. He pulled away and smiled at her, despite still having worry in his eyes. 

“If you are in any danger, call my name. I promise that I’ll come and help you.” She stared at him, unable to say anything; she could only nod in response. He smiled before kissing her hand and heading into the dining room. Something inside her told her that name would be used eventually... She shook herself a little once he was out of sight. She still had to get to school, though she did her best to focus on her classes, she’d be lying if she didn’t say she daydreamed a bit during some of them... okay almost all. She’d made it there without a hitch and the day seemed to be a blur of the usual lessons as any school day was meant to be. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, at least nothing that was noteworthy; she went from class to class, had lunch, and was anxious to get home. 


	9. Trap Set

As she was walking out of her last class she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. A text from her father?  It said that he’d be picking her up from school and that he wanted to talk to her. She wondered what it could possibly be about. It was kind of a surprise. She got all of her things together and waited outside the building for him. While she waited she watched other students pass her by, listening to some of her music on her phone as she waited.

“I need to go to another Rise of the Phoenix concert soon...” She said to herself as she listened to the music. She ended up playing the entire album with no one showing up. That was a little odd. Her father was never late, especially not this late. She dialed her father’s number, but as soon as she pressed call it disconnected and the phone had a signal disconnection error message. She frowned a little.

“Huh? How do I not have a signal?” She could see that her phone had all five bars for a signal, so what was going on?

“He must be in a dead zo-” She began to mutter to herself, but her musing was interrupted as suddenly hands grabbed her limbs and covered her mouth. A familiar voice yelling.

“HEY! Don’t dirty up Malix’s prey.” She felt a shiver go down her spine as the voice whispered into her ear suddenly.

“You’re coming with me, Ms. Crosstar.” She couldn’t fathom what exactly was happening at that moment, but before she knew it she’d been blindfolded and tied up. She felt herself being carried somewhere and shoved into something that seemed to echo like the interior of a bus or a van. The doors closed and she was taken, unsure of where she was going and why. Though her mind was in a daze, she realized she was in real trouble... For a while, all she saw was darkness; she felt numb as she was taken somewhere she didn’t know. She couldn’t find the will to move her lips to even scream. Sounds zipped past her ears; first of the interior of the vehicle and then of outside, then an echoey place with whispers and cackles of others vibrating through it. At some point she’d caught the woman’s name... Eris. Eventually the wrap around her eyes was removed and her bonds were cut. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but she found herself in a warehouse, surrounded by devils, including Malix, who was smirking at her. She had a sinking feeling when she saw all of this, yes she could defend herself... but against ALL of them? She wasn’t feeling that brave.

“Nicely done, hahaha! I’m sure those little shits will come running to find you when they realize you didn’t return to your precious little mansion. They’ll search everywhere for you!” She felt a spurt of anger, but she wasn’t stupid enough to just attack them. Malix walked over and set the barrel of his gun against her forehead, straight between her eyes. The moment the metal touched her skin she knew she couldn’t do this alone. She needed help.  

“It’ll be _so_ funny when they find your dead body instead.” Mika panicked and screamed out.

“UZAERIS!!!” All of the sudden a bright purple light engulfed the room, forcing her to shield her eyes and the devils around her covered themselves.

“WHAT THE!?!?” Malix yelled in surprise.

“NGHH!” The brightness of the light apparently affected Eris too. She felt gusts of wind race past her, almost forcing her back. She covered her face with her arms, bracing herself and standing her ground; she tried to peek through to see what was going on, but the light was too bright. As the gust slowly started to die down, the light began to fade, revealing Erik with a rather displeased expression on his face; though he was looking at Malix.

“Erik...”

“Did you miss me?” She almost chuckled at the response he gave her. Her heart warmed to see him; however the seductive smile that graced his lips quickly disappeared as he turned back to Malix. As Malix lowered his arms, Erik glared at him.

“You really are evil at its core, kidnapping an innocent woman like you did. It’s disgusting how we demons are confused for your kind.”

“Hehehe! Look at this little man-whore Erik right here, boys. Might as well sleep with a disease!” Mika glared at Malix for that. That was uncalled for! The devils around them laughed, including Eris. She felt a twinge of anger, but Erik must have taken it from her and added it to his own as her own anger was only a simmering burn. He flicked his wrist and arm across his body, producing a small whipping noise through the air. However, Malix  hissed and reached for his cheek, as if the air had slapped him, hard.

“What the....” When Malix removed his hand from his cheek, she stared wide-eyed at the large slash that was revealed on it. A mix of red and black blood dripped from the wound, causing Malix to growl angrily.

“Sooo... pretty boy thinks he has ball, huh..? Well, time to make this pretty boy a dead bitch.” Malix lifted his gun towards Erik and pulled the trigger; Mika gasped and tensed up, not believing what she was seeing. As she braced herself for the bullet to embed itself into Erik, a large ethereal tendril shot up in front of his body; sprouting form the ground by his feet. After the bullet evaporated into the tendril, several others appeared, forming a dark purple crown around Erik’s body.

“What the?! What is that?!” That was her question as well... was this Erik’s demon magic?

“Did you expect me to come unprepared the second time around? Thanks to my lovely princess, I can now use the full extent of my powers. Unfortunately for you, that means I’m afraid you will lose this fight.” Because of her? Was he talking about the energy she’d given him the day before?

“You cocky little shit!!” Malix charged up his energy and began to fire bullet after bullet at Erik in anger; however, the tendrils danced across Erik’s body with ease, blocking each one as if they were mere pebbles to a wall. The remaining devils stared, trying to figure out what to do: help Malix or watch in silence. Eris, however, walked up beside Mika and crossed her arms as she watched with an amused smirk on her face. Mika found herself torn between watching and helping, but the way this was going... she wasn’t so sure he really needed her help.

“DIE ALREADY!!” Erik chuckled before snapping his fingers, causing a row of tendrils to appear behind him, pointing their sharp ends at Malix, who continued to fire bullets at the incubus. The sharpened tendrils uprooted themselves from the ground and starting to float in the air, straightening out to large spikes, before quickly splintering into multiple, thinner spikes. Mika could only stare, completely lost and intrigued at the sight as Erik whipped his hand across his body again. At his command, the spikes flue at Malix, slashing and stabbing into his body. They were thin, barely making pencil-sized wounds and only a few went into his body. Others scraped and scratched at his skin as they flew by. This didn’t kill Malix, however; he growled loudly before charging at Erik, causing the incubus to step back in slight shock. Malix pointed his gun at him, closing the distance between them, and fired as the barrel almost reached Erik’s face. Instead of the bullet ripping into Erik, a large explosion forced both away from each other. Malix bounced off the far wall and landed on his knees, groaning in pain. Erik, however, slid across the ground, landing on his stomach.

“ERIK!!” Malix slowly planted a foot into the ground to stand, but froze before doing so, staring at Erik’s body. Erik, on the other hand, slowly rose and turned to face Malix head on. He reached a hand up and wiped off a small stain of blood that had painted the side of his lip before growling almost animalistically. At that moment... something in the air changed. The feel in the air in the room went from warm to almost ice cold. It wasn’t that the temperature of the air had changed, but something had... The frantic energy in the air seemed to suddenly still. What could have only been described in tone as the color red turned into a deadly purple; everything around began to blend together all at once. The color seeming to blur out the surroundings like some strange sort of painting.

“How persistent... I guess I’ll have to go all out on you to finally rid the world of you...” What did he mean... all out? Was there more to his power than this?! Her eyes never strayed from Erik’s face, however, even as he began to change. His eyes began to glow a bright golden color as he began to walk towards Malix.

“Let’s end this.” Malix aimed his gun and fired at Erik, but the bullet never made it to its target. As the shot erupted from the barrel, the tendrils erupted from Erik’s back, creating a wing-like barrier that protected him from the bullet. Malix stared, wide-eyed, as the tendrils absorbed the bullet and grew larger in size and in number with each step Erik took. She couldn’t help but stare as Erik’s skin seemed to begin to morph and shift, changing from human to... something else. For some reason, she felt scared and intrigued to see this new form as something about Erik seemed to grow dark and menacing. However, a pair of hands quickly covered her eyes before she was able to see this new form. Instinctively she reached up and gripped them, trying to pull them off. A voice in her ear stopped her though.

“It’s me. Don’t look.” Damien?! She stood still as his words lingered in her mind. ‘Don’t look.’ Why? What was being hidden from her? She wanted to know, but something in her told her to obey Damien’s command so she didn’t move. She trusted Erik, and his brothers... As curious as she was, she didn’t think she should disobey. She could hear everything, however; Malix stood up with a pained grunt before being pushed against the wall with another shout. After that came sounds of flesh ripping and blood spurting, followed quickly by Malix’s screams. Maybe it was better that she wasn’t able to see, she was pretty sure that if she had that she would have nightmares about it afterwards just from the sounds...

“Erik! Enough!” Almost instantly after James’ command, the sounds stopped. The air grew silent as a pair of footsteps slowly made their way to where she and Damien were...


	10. A Choice to Make

“I just had to be sure he was dead. No use in letting him have a chance to revive.” 

“You’re getting sloppy, Erik. You’ve lost your glamor spell.” Sam replied. What did he mean by a glamor spell? Was that an effect of his power being unleashed? Why was all this being hidden from her? 

“It’s a spell that makes  _ us _ look human.” Damien answered her question on that, but none of the others that swirled in her mind just then. Look human? They didn’t have human forms after all? Then what did they look like?

“Like demons.”  _ Oh, that’s  _ real  _ specific. _ He didn’t comment on that thought if he was paying attention nor did he seem inclined to be specific. Neither affirming nor denying the various images that popped into her mind as she tried to imagine what each of them really looked like. As if Matthew knew what Damien was talking about, he spoke up and his words were followed by the sound of a cork popping out of a bottle. 

“Well, not for much longer. Here.”

“Ahh. There we are. Thank you, Matthew.” There was the small sound of clinking glass as something was passed to Erik, followed by the sounds of him guzzling down a liquid of some sort. The feel of the air around her gently began to warm back up, insinuating that everything had been returned to normal. Well... as normal as it got with five demons around anyway. A moment later Damien moved his hands from her eyes, allowing her to see her surroundings once more. The devils, including Eris, seemed to have fled. On top of Malix’s body was a dirty sheet that was quickly turning red from blood. She couldn’t tell if it was even his body; it seemed lumped together like a pile of parts...  _ Ugh... I really didn’t want to imagine  _ that  _ just now! _ She thought to herself as she looked way. As she focused on what was around her, however, she noticed that the boys had gathered around her; all of them, including Erik, looking like nothing had happened. 

“What just...” She wasn’t so sure she really wanted an answer to that. Everything about the whole event seemed to zip around her head and suddenly she felt like speaking wasn’t really possible. While her mind was beginning to comprehend things and calm down, her body was a different story. 

“Let’s just get you home, miss. There’s nothing more to see here.” James replied. She could only nod. What had happened boggled her mind to near a point of disbelief, but not quite. While she was second-guessing a few things, lost in the sea of ‘what’ and ‘how’ in her mind as it tried to fill in the blanks of what had been missing. It sent a shiver through her as she realized that maybe she understood just a little too well... She looked to Erik for some form of a sign that she wasn’t dreaming. That all of that had really just happened. He smiled softly at her before looking ahead, trying to look like nothing had happened.  It was over. Malix was gone and the boys were finally safe. A wave of relief ran through her body at the thought of never having to deal with that group again. It was followed though by a ping of realization that hit the back of her mind.The boys were only going to stay until after Malix was defeated. That was the deal. As they approached the mansion, she could feel something heavy begin to weigh down her heart. It was late, but the boys led her inside and turned on the lights in the lobby. Much to her surprise, it was Matthew who spoke up first.

“Finally! We can relax!” 

“It will be good to have some rest without devils breathing down our necks.” Erik agreed. 

“Ugh... I’m just tired. Can I hit the hay early?” That wasn’t so surprising anymore to hear from Sam.

“I think some sleep would be good for all of us.” James agreed and so did she. Damien, on the other hand, made a soft sound that drew her attention. She knew he could read her mind and frowned. She didn’t want him to know her thoughts on the situation at hand now, especially since bringing it up would only ruin the mood. 

“Yeah. Bed sounds good.” She spoke up, hoping Damien wouldn’t; she just wanted this night to end. Too much had happened and she felt a little dizzy just trying to figure it out; however, Damien spoke up, stopping them all from moving to their bedrooms. 

“Should we be gone in the morning?” Damn it, there it was... couldn’t he have waited until tomorrow? The air became still with tension; the realization of the situation hit the other boys like a wave, causing them to turn to her in curiosity. They had remembered their deal and now were awaiting her answer, their eyes on her made her feel like she was deciding their fate or something like that. She gulped, face-to-face with the situation she knew would come and yet a part of her had hoped it wouldn’t. The boys were leaving it up to her. They all looked like they were willing to accept whatever she demanded and that alone made her feel unnerved. Yes this was her home now... but... damnit... they weren’t intruders or anything! It was only fair, though, after all that had happened since they had come crashing into her life. Why did she have to decide now? She silently cursed Damien’s ability to read minds, she knew he likely had heard that but it didn’t seem to affect him. Well... he had once told her he was ‘used to it’ had he not? She looked to Erik, feeling her heart flutter in her chest as she met his deep violet eyes that could shame amethyst...  She didn’t want him to leave, but would he ask to stay? She hoped that he would say no to Damien and ask her to stay longer. As if he knew what she wanted, Erik moved and stepped up to her, gently moving a strand of hair from her face to behind her ear. He stared into her eyes and spoke, gently stroking her cheek. 

“Princess. You’ve been such a wonderful help to us already, but I’m afraid that I must ask more of you. I’ve grown fond of being here and of serving you. Would you allow us to stay?” She flushed brightly. The other boys stared at Erik wide-eyed, as if they couldn’t believe what he was asking, but none of them dared to speak out. Erik stepped back again to give her space and returning to where he had been moments before. She moved her gaze across each of the boys, trying to find the words that she knew were right as she began to realize she had already made her decision. She had made it before Erik had even stepped up to her. She knew that if they left in the morning, she would never see them again and her life could return to normal... If she did decide to let them go, that would have been for the best. No goodbyes, no delays. But... did she want to? They had done so much for her in a small amount of time... No, even if it wasn’t for all they’d done, there was a reason she wanted them to stay beyond that. At last, the words came to her. She wanted them to stay. She wanted  **him** to stay. She merely smiled, staring at the man she had come to have feelings for, before speaking and answering the question he had given her and, at the same time, answering Damien’s.

“I would love it if you all could stay.” The boys cheered tiredly, but nonetheless enthusiastically and she couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. It was both cute and heartwarming to see them so excited, despite the tiredness that ran equally through all of them. Today was a rough day.

“My home is your home, as long as you can still help with the chores!” They all nodded in unison, agreeing to the terms that she had originally set for them. Despite the happiness of the situation, she felt herself slowly slipping towards unconsciousness; she was utterly exhausted. James quickly clapped his hands together, getting everyone’s attention and waking her up, making sure that she didn’t just pass out on the floor.

“Alright everyone. We’re all very tired, so let’s head to bed, shall we?” 

“Oh! Yeah, sleep is actually a thing. Right.” She smiled a little at Matthew’s statement, too tired to do more than that. 

“We’ve had a very long day, but it will be good to just relax tonight and tomorrow.” Mika couldn’t agree with Erik more. 

“Sleep sounds really good right now...” Damien agreed.

“Yeah, man.” Of course Sam was tired, hadn’t he said so earlier? She watched the happy smile grow on Erik’s lips. He shared her excitement, knowing that they could be together longer. Who knew how long they would stay together? All she cared about just then was that she would get to be with him. She wanted to get to know him better, after all. The others quickly left to finally rest, leaving her and Erik alone at last. Her heart fluttered a bit as he walked closer to her, gently wrapping his arms around her waist. She placed her hands on his shoulders, leaning close.

“Yet again, you spoil me... I’m very unworthy of you, princess...” 

“Hush, Erik... I wanted you to stay.” She stared up into his eyes, getting lost in them; she didn’t know if it was the tiredness or her growing attachment to him, but she felt herself lean into his body. It invited her to stay a while, making her forget that her bed was also calling for her.

“Listen... about what happened at the warehouse-” 

“No. It’s fine. You did what you had to do. I understand.” Perhaps she understood a little too well. She’d accepted everything that had happened while in Erik’s warm embrace and knew that he was real, and he was someone she didn’t want to be without, even if that meant fighting against her curiosity about him. She was too tired, anyway, to explore that memory further tonight. He nodded before kissing her forehead sweetly.

“Come. Let’s get you to bed.” He seemed back to his normal, cheerful self. She nodded and Erik gently took her into his arms like a bride and carried her to her room. 


	11. Diana

She didn’t want to leave his arms, it wasn’t like being carried by Damien; she lay her head against his chest, but eventually she was lowered onto her bed and covered up with the covers. She was still in her day clothes, but she was too tired to strip or care. She looked to Erik, fighting a yawn from escaping her as he gently ran a hand over her hair. 

“Have a good night,princess... I’ll prepare breakfast for you in the morning.” She nodded with a tired smile before watching him slowly stand and leave the room, closing the door behind him. A wave of happiness washed over her as she lay there; she knew she’d made a good choice. Sure, it would be hard, but she could tell that she would be able to manage it. Help around the house and being with a man whom she was slowly starting to fall for would be worth it. She slowly felt exhaustion take over and she let sleep consume her; as she drifted into the darkness of her mind her final conscious thought almost made her smile.  _ So he was the one responsible after all for breakfast... _ Everything was peaceful... She was happy... Something woke her. A voice.

“Hahaha. You are an interesting creature...” She opened her eyes to see a woman staring down at her with a sly smirk on her face; red eyes and light brown hair. She opened her mouth to scream, but a hand quickly covered her mouth. 

“Ah ah ah! No screaming, now. Too early, silly girl.” She could only stare at the this woman; she still felt weak , not having the strength to move and fight her off from the lack of sleep. What was going on and why was she here?! Who was she?! 

“Hmmm... why do the boys like you? You’re unique, yes, but that can’t be all that you have going for you...” She frowned in response, it must have reflected in her eyes along with her anger as she felt rage begin to consume her core. This woman, whoever she was, was making her mad. The woman must have known as she let another smirk grow on her face.

“Ooo! You’re feisty. That could be why...” What was with this woman?! Before Mika could bite her hand, she removed it and stood up fully, staring down at her from where she stood next to the bed. Mika quickly sat up and glared daggers at the intruder. She was very beautiful, but she felt more anger than amazement; looks weren’t everything after all.

“Who the hell are you and why are you in my room?!” She began to laugh in response, making the rage inside her increase; she wanted to punch this woman, but instead she waited for an answer. 

“How silly of me. I forgot we demons are not well known of in your world. You can call me Diana, little human.” Little?! What the hell?! She had some nerve... and what was with that dress? She looked like she was dressed to go ballroom dancing, the gold triangular patterns along the black, sleeveless dress matched the necklace she wore which seemed to be made of a string gold triangles. There was also a modest slit in the left part of the skirt, allowing her to walk easily in the form fitting attire that stopped at her ankles, but revealed a little bit of leg beneath. This Diana might be beautiful... but she wasn’t winning any brownie points for it. Who was she and was she really a demon? 

“You’re a demon?” 

“I am, but I’m much more than just an average demon.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Silly girl, I’m a succubus.”  _ Shit. _ That was all she could think at first. A succubus? First incubi, not a succubus. Great. Now she had met  _ both _ genders of sex demons.  _ Well aren’t I just lucky? _ She thought sarcastically. Diana crossed her arms under her bosom and looked at Mika’s body, seeming to measure her.

“Well, you are pretty... But you seem very reckless... Too reckless...” Demon or not... who did she think she was to simply assess her like that?! She stood up, glaring at Diana. 

“Why are you here?” 

“Oh, I just wanted to see who my competition was.” Wait... what?

“Competition?” She smiled as she spoke, as if they were friends who were discussing a favorite book.

“For the boys, of course. They don’t belong here, and yet here they remain. I want to know why and remedy this little issue.” This woman was seriously pissing her off.

“Issue?! What issue?! They want to stay here, so they can.” 

“Silly uneducated human. You don’t understand the important roles these boys play in the Abyssal Plains. You keeping them here is practically imprisonment.” She growled. This woman was an idiot... imprisonment was something done  _ against _ someone’s will! The boys  _ wanted _ to stay! She wasn’t forcing them! 

“You have about ten seconds to leave.” She swore that if this woman didn’t leave on her own then she was going to scream loud enough to send all the boys running and they would all CHASE her ass out! 

“Is that a threat? How cute. What are you going to do? Kill me?” Rather than be annoyed, she seemed... amused? What the hell was wrong with her?! 

“And if I do?” She really wondered why this woman was laughing at such a threat. 

“You barely have the strength to stand, little human. I can rip the rest of your energy out and knock you into a coma. You’ll never be able to wake up again.” Mika clenched her fists. 

“Touch me and I’ll-” 

“Enjoy. Every. Minute of it.” She drew the words out. Mika, on the other hand, had been about to say that she’d scream. She felt her body freeze and heat up to an almost painful haze. Her mind began to feel fuzzy as Diana stepped up to her and caressed her cheek. She knew this feeling, but she wasn’t enjoying a moment of it. On the contrary, she glared at Diana for it.

“Now, you’re going to listen to everything I say without any questions, got it?” She nodded, reluctantly. 

“Good. I plan to bring the boys back to the Abyssal Plains. Why? So that I can take my place as queen of their realm. They have no reason to be here in this silly little world, so I’m going to make sure they return home. Okay, pumpkin?” Mika growled even as her body was forced to nod. Her rage couldn’t be concealed, despite the hold that she was under. 

“You... evil... bitch...” She managed, it hurt to fight the control to even say that much, but Mika had no care for this woman. 

“Hahaha! Call me evil all you want, deary. I’m not evil; you’re just in my way.”  _ And what if you’re in MINE?!  _  She wondered; Diana leaned towards her ear and whispered, making her shiver in both pleasure and annoyance. 

“Now, be a good little human and go to bed. I’ll make sure they’re gone before you get home tomorrow from school, so make sure to say goodbye in the morning.” She growled again even as her body moved on it's own to lay down and cover itself up with the bedsheets. She glared at Diana the entire time but the demoness only laughed at her futility. 

“I’ll... get... you...” 

“Oh, please do.” Her voice deepened suddenly, becoming cold and demonic; it sent a violent shiver down her spine as Diana’s red eyes practically illuminated in the darkness of the room as she glared down at her. Mika knew she should feel fear, but she didn’t.  

“Give me a reason to make your life a living hell.” She gritted her teeth, trying to fight back against the hold on her. Diana couldn’t have been that tough. She needed energy to survive, right? She was sure that she couldn’t have had enough to hold her down forever. Diana then laughed and returned to ‘normal.’ 

“Oh, and make sure you don’t tell the boys I was here. I want my visit to be a surprise.” With the hold on her disappearing, she sat up and practically growled in rage at Diana.

“What’s stopping me?!” She said before she could stop it. Once the words were out she realized how reckless they were. She shouldn’t have said anything. 

“Tsk tsk tsk, then you must not care about your friends and family as much as you care for the boys.” She expected that answer... it was a classic threat from any villain. It happened in stories and movies... why not real life? Diana smirked at her, as if knowing the reason for why her eyes had darkened slightly. 

“Let’s just say that, if you tell the boys about me, I’ll make sure that  _ no one _ will care for you and you’ll be all alone in this little house until the day you die.” Could she do that? Mika knew that a succubus had powers that were the same as any incubus... but could she have a different ability, like the boys, that would make something like that possible? She considered that it might be. It was one thing for her to be facing a devil with help from the boys and yet another to face down a demon on her own. Despite that, she wouldn’t be detoured. 

“Have a good night.” She said way too pleasantly to actually mean it. With that, she sank into the floor through a some magic, purple pentagram, which disappeared as soon as her head had vanished into the floor. It was different from what she remembered seeing when she had called out to Erik for help... but that had been more of a summoning so maybe it was different than traveling normally? She shook her head, barely able to believe it. First she’d had one problem and now that it was dealt with she suddenly had another. Instead of a crazy psycho devil who wanted her and the boys dead, she had a succubus wanting to ruin her life and take the boys away... although she wasn’t sure that those two things weren’t synonymous. She had to wonder though, could her life get  _ any _ worse? She shook the thought away, she really didn’t want to jinx herself in case it really could get worse. Why tempt fate? 


	12. Morning

No. She wasn’t simply going to let Diana win. 

“She’s not as powerful as she looks. I know it.” Mika mentally confirmed it; she wasn’t going to win and the boys wanted to stay with her. They’d agreed to her conditions, they weren’t her slaves by any means nor was she keeping them here against their will. She let out a sigh before closing her eyes, affirming her plan of action. No matter what she was going to do, she was going to beat that demoness. When morning came it seemed like the sun was screaming at her to get up. Surprisingly, she woke up before her alarm clock once again, which was kinda nice. She stretched and dressed, getting ready for another day of school.  _ She expects me to say ‘goodbye’ to the boys. I will say ‘good morning’ and will see them when I come back.  _

“No way am I going to say goodbye.” She all but growled to an empty room. Scooping up her bag, she headed downstairs to the dining room and saw the boys were already eating a delicious selection of food. The smell made her stomach growl as the sight of the food drew her to walk further into the room. James, Erik and Matthew smiled when they saw her.

“Good morning, miss. Did you sleep well?” James asked. She hesitated in answering. Damien furrowed his eyebrows and stopped eating; which let her know that her attempt to hide last night’s event had failed. 

“She’s here.” The way he said it made a chill go up her spine. Did Damien know her? The others looked at Damien in confusion while she silently cursed his ability. 

“Umm... Damien, what’s up with you? Of course she’s here. She kinda owns the house.” Damien looked from his brothers to her, wanting her to explain for him this time. The threats that Diana had given her last night warned her against it, however. She almost sighed aloud, knowing that the boys would find out from Damien if not from her. So it didn’t really matter if she said anything or not.

“Diana.” Damien pressed his lips together into a fine line while the others looked at her with a raised eyebrow. 

“A girl named Diana came by last night...” 

“Diana? Is she important?” Erik seemed confused by her answer.

“Did she try to hurt you?” Leave it to Sam to think that, though he wasn’t exactly off the mark. 

“She’s a... succubus.” That single word seemed to make them all stop eating and stare. She looked at each of them, unsure of what was going through their minds. Should she have avoided it? No... it wouldn’t have mattered if she’d spoken up or not.

“So... she’s come to try and bring us back...” It was James who spoke, his voice rather quiet; none of the boys seemed pleased by this prospect. 

“She must really be desperate.” Matthew added and that made her wonder if perhaps they hadn’t met her before. 

“Well, what should we do now?” Erik looked over at James but it was Sam who answered.

“Nothing. She’ll give up eventually.”

“Will she?” James asked; the boys continued to look at her as if she knew the answer to that. Damn it, Damien. 

“She said that if I told you, she’d make my life a living hell... She can’t possibly do that, right? She’s not a devil.” 

“No, she isn’t... However, she is a very powerful demon.”  _ That’s not reassuring James. _

“She’s a master of mind-manipulation and has been trained in illusion. Unlike other demons who use strength to get power, she uses her charisma.”  _ Thanks Erik... so in a word... yeah, she could.  _ Mika almost sighed at the thought.

“She has the power to make armies bow to her and obey her every whim. That’s why she’s so obsessed with us.”  _ That... doesn’t make any sense Damien. _ She didn’t say it aloud, but she knew he heard it, even if he didn’t respond or even give any sign he had.

“What? What do you mean?” She hoped he’d explain further; she’d like to say that she was surprised when he didn’t answer but Matthew did... except that she was sort of used to this back and forth now. For... whatever reason, it seemed to be a thing with them. Not that she minded really. 

“Well... she sort of has family ties to us... She was promised to marry one of us in exchange for more power.” Well that figured. 

“She’s just some whacked up hussy who doesn’t know how to close her legs. She’s not a real threat.” Well crap... Sam seemed to be showing more hostility against Diana than Mika had honestly expected him to. 

“Oh, really? I feel insulted.” The only one who wasn’t surprised, likely, was Damien. Since he could read minds after all. They looked around the room, wondering where the voice came from. Mika felt a cold sweat run down the back of her neck in fear, remembering what kind of power this demon had. After a moment of searching, they spotted her by the entrance of the kitchen, juggling a red apple in her hand as she leaned against the archway. The boys were quick to surround her, just as they had in the warehouse, glaring at the intruder.

“So, you took up a human name as well.” That only seemed to confirm my suspicions that the boys knew her from before now. 

“Beautiful name, isn’t it? Well, for a human name, anyway.” What was THAT supposed to mean? Was that a veiled insult? 

“What the hell do you want?” 

“To bring you back, of course! However, you weren’t supposed to know that I was coming. I completely forgot about that little mind-reading ability.” She chuckled, as if it were some joke.

“My mistake.” She pushed off from the archway and walked towards them, making the boys step closer to Mika in a protective circle. This caused Diana to laugh. 

“My, my, my. What have the worlds come to? A group of demons protecting a human girl? I’ll tell you right now, she’s not that pretty and, from what I can tell, she’s still a virgin.” So what? What difference did  _ that _ make? Although the way she said it made it seem like some sort of an insult that she had been saving her first time with someone she loved rather than just sleep with any guy. She didn’t say a word, it didn’t matter... apparently in the demon world it was something to be used frivolously but Diana obviously did not understand that, for humans, it was not something to just use as some bargaining chip. That it meant a lot more than that and she almost pitied Diana for her position, being a succubus had to suck if she was expected to be experienced by a certain age. Still, when Diana chuckled and smirked at her, Mika wanted to hit her, but she had control of herself. She wasn’t just going to go and do something stupid. 

“Such control you have, human. You know your place very well...” She growled, this wasn’t the Dark Ages! This demon was an idiot if she thought that... Diana seemed to ignore the sound much like one would ignore the growling of a dog.

“Well, will you all change your minds? I assure you, it’s for the greater good.” Greater good? What the hell sort of nonsense was  _ that _ ?! There was complete silence. None of the boys replied, which made her curious as to why. Diana leaned her head back a bit, surprised. 

“No? Well... I see...” Was silence their way of saying no to her? She looked around at each of them and saw the disobedience in their eyes, giving her the answer she sought. She felt her heart flutter, especially when her eyes landed on Erik. He kept her close to him, glaring daggers into Diana. She could feel that he was completely adamant in his choice to stay, regardless of what his reason for coming to this world had been originally. She didn’t know what his reason was, or any of the others’ reason for that matter, but she was incredibly happy to know that Erik wanted to stay. Diana sighed and pressed a finger into one temple, rubbing it gently. 

“Either all of you are playing a very convincing hard-to-get game... or you all must be out of your minds...”  _ Or maybe you’re the insane one lady... _ Who in their right mind, after all, would ask anyone to run back to the place they had run from in the first place? Diana’s gaze shifted to her then, as if to read her mind. She could tell that Diana wanted her to do something, but the boys would stop her, so the stare was her only available action and she was not going to say or do anything to change the boys’ minds. Whether Diana liked it or not... it was their choice to stay or go. After a small moment of silence, Diana licked her lips before breaking the gaze-battle with her and smiling to the boys. 

“Very well. I guess I’ll take my leave now.”  She was going to just leave? The boys straightened up, seeming just as confused as Diana stepped back from them with a small bow, flaunting her cleavage. Not that any of the boys were really paying close attention to that rather than her as a whole. Without another word, a purple pentagram appeared beneath her, like the night before, and she slowly sank into the floor. As her head vanished into the floor, the pentagram vanished. The boys relaxed at that and slowly began to return to their spots at the table, each in deep thought. 

“She’ll be back... but she won’t kill us. She needs us alive.” 

“Whatever. We’ll just keep saying no! She can’t force us to come back.” Mika wasn’t so sure of that. After all, Malix had tried to use her against the boys, she didn’t think that Diana would be any different.

“She can’t do anything but annoy us. Eventually she’ll give up.” She wondered how Sam was so certain of this. 

“That’s the hope, anyway...” Right, hope. She hoped that Erik had a little more than just hope to go on. 

“Hopefully...” She said in agreement, there was no guarantee. Erik walked over to her and gently caressed her cheek, looking at her with concern. 

“She won’t harm you, princess. I promise.” 


	13. Not a Teacher

She nodded, feeling that he was telling the truth, or at least a hopeful and comforting thought; Erik gently took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles, making her blush and forget what she was thinking about. The sound of chuckles and playful snickers whispered through the air, making her blush even more, but as Erik cleared his throat, the laughter stopped. She looked up to see that he was glaring at his brothers with his lips on her hand. Mika quickly left the room after that, not wanting to become more embarrassed than she already was as she’d realized the other brothers had come to realize that there was something between them... She didn’t even think about the fact that she hadn’t actually eaten as she left for school; there wasn’t any time now before class and besides that she’d lost her appetite with the appearance of Diana. That woman was more than enough to ruin anyone’s appetite. At least today she only had one class to deal with. History. She was pretty sure that nothing would happen.... Never, ever say that nothing will happen before the day is over... History class wasn’t her favorite, it wasn’t exactly fun really, but she liked her teacher and most of the other students who were already there were around her age, though a couple of them were older. Before class was set to start, however, there was a note on the board stating that there would be a substitute for the day. Mika looked around but didn’t see anyone but the other students so far. It wasn’t until the door opened just a few minutes before class was set to start. She couldn’t help but stare and she swore that her heart stopped as she saw her.

“Hello class, you can call me Ms. Diana.” Mika nearly groaned. Diana smirked when their eyes met before she strutted over to the podium near the head of the class, ignoring (or welcoming) the whispers from the other students, before she sat on the edge of the desk and crossed her legs. So unprofessional, but seeing her made her stomach churn. What was Diana going to do? 

“So, History. History, history, history. Such a silly thing, isn’t it? I mean, what do we care about the past? We’re in the present!” The rest of the class hesitantly nodded in agreement, though whether that was because she was controlling them or because they were actually willing to hear her out she could not be sure. 

“The present is so full of wonderful things! While the labors of the past are the reason we have many things, it is our chance and privilege to utilize what has been given to us!” Her charm was infectious; the class was practically eating out of her hand already. As she looked around, Mika could see a few of her classmates smiling and agreeing; she simply pressed her lips together as she listened further. She had no choice. 

“What’s even funnier, about human beings, is that some of the bits of ‘history’ we hear is either made up or completely biased to one side! It’s like a story you read as a child!” She was one to talk... Mika had a feeling that demons were no different on that score. Why would they be when Diana had proven to her the other night that demons could be just as cruel and ruthless as any human, if not more so. 

“You hear of the princess and the prince and they live happily ever after, but what about the family she left behind? What of her friends?” As the class seemed to listen and agree intently on her words, Mika could tell, however, that those words were targeted at her. Diana hadn’t really come to teach a bunch of humans, she was targeting her and Mika knew it. 

“The original story of The Little Mermaid! A perfect example of a biased opinion. Here we have a girl who thinks she can be with this prince, but this prince has to marry a princess! What would happen if the mermaid had her way? What makes the mermaid so important that the princess has to suffer the consequences?” Mika didn’t answer despite that Diana looked at her as if she expected her to speak up. Consequences? What sort of crockery was this? And about a fairy tale no less! Despite that Diana was the ‘teacher’ she had no trouble simply ignoring her. There was no telling what she would do if she talked back. Diana smirked, Mika glared at her; she knew she didn’t need to fight to win. 

“It’s still something to think about, however, as we think of this story. It’s so easy to believe that the mermaid was the heroine, but what of the poor princess? Why should the princess suffer the antics of the mermaid? The princess didn’t do anything wrong to her.” More nonsense, a not-so-subtle subliminal message to make her pity her. She wasn’t going to pity Diana though. How long was she going to drag this out? She wasn’t a real teacher, she had no idea how to really run a class full of students... at least not human students. Diana continued to rave about the injustice the princess had to suffer through while the mermaid was in the prince’s sight. To Diana, it was injustice; to her, it was fairytale. A story meant for entertainment and a lesson about love and loss. The boys  _ choose _ her.  **He** chose her. Diana wasn’t going to convince them otherwise and she certainly wasn’t going to let her nor buy any of this. Diana stretched her arms up, making an obvious sexual noise that made some of the boys in the class shift in their seats. Mika merely rolled her eyes. Did that woman think about ANYTHING other than sex?

“Well, then that’s enough about fairytales. After all, the little mermaid was fated to lose her prince in the original story, anyway. It was for the better, though! The kingdoms, I’m sure, flourished, and the prince and princess lived happily ever after.” Mika’d had enough of this idiocy.

“How can you be so sure?” She stared challengingly at Diana. The other students turned to look at her in shock and confusion; Diana looked over and smiled kindly, but that only made her mad.

“Because I have a hunch.” A hunch? What the hell sort of answer was THAT? Recalling that the boys had left for a reason, even if they hadn’t told her, she boldly continued.

“What if the prince was incredibly unhappy? Could the princess live with herself knowing that the man she married was unhappy?” 

“In that case, the prince and princess’ sense of duty would overrule emotion. Their kingdoms would flourish nevertheless, making their people love them and live happy lives.” Another excuse, it wasn’t an answer to her questions. 

“So the prince is supposed to suffer a marriage he  _ doesn’t _ want for the sake of his kingdom?” 

“It happens all the time in reality. Arranged marriages happen to bring families together and bring wealth out of poverty.” 

“We don’t live in the Dark Ages. Even if we did, that doesn’t make it right, saying that the emotions of the two who are forced into marriage doesn’t count for anything.” The other students applauded, knowing that what she was saying was right. Diana pressed her lips into a thin line out of irritation, signalling her victory over the demoness. Diana stopped talking and looked at the clock on the wall, reading it quickly. Class had barely begun, why was she looking at the time already? She shifted to lean against the blackboard and smiled at the group; that made Mika worry. 

“You know what? School isn’t important. Everyone, go ahead and head home. Take the week off.” The other students looked at one another in confusion, after all, college was hardly cheap and a sudden dismissal like that seemed bizarre. Before anyone could really puzzle it out, however, a messenger came in; announcing something that no one would ever believe to be real.

“Due to an emergency faculty meeting, the school will be closed for the remainder of the day and the rest of the week. All classes are being dismissed until then. Please leave quickly and have a good rest of the week.” That said, the messenger disappeared. She’d used her powers on them. Damn it. It was blatantly obvious to her, but she couldn’t just blurt that out to her fellow students; she felt the need to stop Diana, but how could she stop a demon in the middle of a public area without seeming insane? It wasn’t like she had powers like Diana did. Diana smiled before gesturing to the door. 

“Have a nice week off! School will resume next week!” Most of the students were out the door in a matter of minutes, each of them off in their own world now so it wasn’t a surprise or difficult for Diana to stop her, of all the students, before she could leave. 

“Excuse me, little miss. I’d like you to stay a little while. There’s something we need to discuss.” Mika glared at Diana while the last of the students left the two of them alone, just like Diana wanted. Standing up, she slammed her hands on the desk in front of her as she glared at Diana. 

“What are you doing and what are you thinking?!” 

“What? Do I not make a good teacher? I figured you should have a little lesson so I took matters into my own hands.” 

“Whatever you’re trying to do here won’t work.” 

“You really think so, dear? And what makes you so sure about that?” Why was she so sure? That was a good question. She brushed aside the doubts that were trying to creep into her mind; to cloud it with uncertainties that she’d had just that morning. There was risk involved, in letting the boys stay; if they were ever found out... there’d be hell to pay for sure. Reason and logic overruled that though; how many people actually believed in such things as magic in this day and age? Unless demons and devils suddenly began popping up like daisies and using magic all over the place... the chance of discovery was pretty slim. The chance of someone even believing whoever made that discovery was even slimmer. What about Diana though? Would she force her parents to forget about her completely? Would she ruin her friends’ lives out of spite? As sour as that pill was to swallow, her confidence didn’t fade; no matter what Diana said of herself, what she was trying to do was wrong. That she would ruin lives just to get what she wanted only made it that much worse.... If she was as “grown up” as she seemed to present herself to be, then why was it she couldn’t seem to wrap her brain around the idea that just because you wanted something to happen didn’t mean that it would... especially when that something involved someone else. 


	14. Another Problem

What was going on with her? Why was the confidence she had seeming to struggle? After a moment she began to understand... this was Diana’s other power. The ability to dissolve the confidence in someone else. Just like Matthew could make toys and Damien could read minds. She looked up to meet Diana’s eyes only to find her gaze boring into her and that was all she needed to prove that she was right. Diana was trying to influence her; using her powers on her, but this time Mika was away from home. She couldn’t escape and there was no way the boys would know she needed their support... or could she? Did she want to? The way Diana was staring at her was starting to make her feel warm and fuzzy inside; she felt like she was melting. Diana lifted a hand under her child and ran a thumb over her lips, licking her own. Mika could feel little shots of energy zipping from under her skin into her chin where the demoness held her. 

“Now, let’s have a little taste of that sweet, virginal sexual energy...” Her mind snapped to attention despite the influence. This was wrong. Even if she could jerk back because her body was under Diana’s spell as she leaned in, ready to kiss her and take her energy. Half of her body felt elation while the other half completely rejected it in disgust and didn’t even want her to touch her. 

“E-Erik...” The weak plea tumbled from her lips. It was enough to stop Diana in her tracks though. 

“Erik? Who is...” She trailed off as it dawned on her.

“Ahhh.... one of the boys... Why don’t you tell me which boy is ‘Erik’?” Against her will, she nodded.

“T-the second...” Diana giggled before letting go of her face and stepping back.

“Really? The sly second? With you?” She didn’t like those implications. Even so, she nodded once again, but this time it was partly her own decision to reply. Diana let out a sound that mimicked a cat’s purr before taking another step back. 

“Alright then. Well, if it’s the second son you’re infatuated with, you should really re-think your romantic options.” Really? And who was  _ she _ to speak of romance? Diana chuckled before she kissed Mika’s nose, where she felt a shot of energy zap out of her body and almost make her dizzy in recoil. Diana then turned and sat back down on the desk once more. 

“You can go, now. Remember, no class for the rest of the week.” 

“And how am I supposed to get home? I take a scheduled bus, which won't be around again this early in the day!” 

“Is that so? Hehehehe, my apologies. Let me help, then.” Help?! Diana lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. Mika suddenly felt the floor sink from underneath her, forcing her to look down; a purple pentagram surrounded her feet, pulling her into the ground. It was exactly like what she remembered seeing Diana use to make her exit before. 

“W-w-whoa!!!” She had no idea what exactly was going to happen, but before she could fight it she sank fully into the floor; fading into the darkness she shut her eyes. It was only when she felt the silk sheets of her bed around her to soothe her anxiety from the darkness that had previously surrounded her did she actually open her eyes. “Wha... what the...?” Why had Diana sent her home? Was this some sort of an illusion? Was she being tricked? She was certain that something was going on. Sitting up in the bed, she looked around; she was indeed in her room with her things on the floor nearby, there was no mistake about that. Why? 

“Diana... is too strange...” She muttered. Was this a game? A part of her plan to get the boys back? Mika was more lost and confused than ever, despite her logical thoughts trying to piece the puzzle together. The more she tried to solve the puzzle that was Diana, the less she understood about her or this whole situation really. Her thoughts were interrupted, however, by the door suddenly opening and revealing the boys with Damien’s hand on the doorknob.  _ Guess he heard my thoughts. _

“Miss, what are you doing here?” James and the others seemed confused and concerned. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” Erik asked next, but she furrowed her eyebrows, staring at Damien; asking him to answer their questions through her thoughts as he would be able to pick it out easily enough... hopefully. Her thoughts were a bit scattered. 

“Diana sent her back here. She invaded her school and sent all the students back home.” Damien seemed a little angry at that, Mika didn’t blame him. 

“What is that bitch up to? Seriously! Diana’s playing around for no reason.” She no more had an answer for Sam on that score than any of the other boys seemed to. 

“Maybe it’s part of her plan...”  Matthew seemed uncertain. The boys continued to argue back and forth about Diana, fueling an almost jealous curiosity in her; after all, she didn’t have any siblings to speak of. Damien seemed to be too deep within talking to the others to notice her thoughts, or acknowledge them, as he didn’t even stop talking alongside his brothers as they were all seeming to try and talk over one another. Why was Diana after them? Why did she want to bring them back? What was so important about them that she would travel to the human world to get them? What was going on? She decided enough was enough, if she was going to be dragged into this then she needed answers. 

“HEY!” The boys stopped arguing, staring at her in surprise; after all, she didn’t exactly make it a habit to yell to be heard by them... and had been mostly soft spoken, more or less. Her hands were in fists in her lap as she mustered the courage she needed to continue to speak despite her abrupt shout. 

“Why is Diana here? Why does she want to take you back? What exactly did you all run from? Why did you run from it?” 

“Miss, we-” No, she wasn’t going to be detoured by anything James might think to say!

“Don’t ‘miss’ me! Please! I need to know what is going on. I won’t be left in the dark about this. I want to know what I am facing.” The five of them looked at each other hesitantly, unsure of what to say; after a moment, Sam pushed Damien towards the bed. Caught off guard, he buckled and landed on his knees with his torso over the edge of the mattress. 

“Damien. Do the thing.” 

“The thing? What thing?”

“Sam, you’re not suggesting-” Erik began.

“Why not? She deserves to know everything. Especially if Diana is targeting her.”

“Sam’s right.” Matthew agreed.

“Guess we have no choice, then.” James seemed the most reluctant about this for some reason; she was getting confused. What was Damien about to do? Damien stood before climbing onto the bed with her, sitting across from her on his knees. 

“We’re going to show you everything. You have to trust me, okay? The minute you stop trusting me, the vision will stop.” A vision? Could he do that?

“Vision?”

“Princess, please trust him.” Erik said, catching her attention again; she looked at him, unsure of what was going on for the moment, but she nodded. If this was the only way to learn, then this was her chance to know... to know everything about the five boys who had come crashing into her life. Damien gently placed his hands on each side of her head, gently pressing his thumbs into the skin above her eyebrows. She could only stare at Damien in return as his eyes began to glow gold and energy began to both be pulled out of her and forced into her head. Within seconds, her vision went black; she was unsure of what Damien was doing, but soon shapes and textures slowly began to appear around her. 


	15. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you've actually read one of the other routes you can probably skip this chapter and the next, seeing as this vision appears exactly the same in every route.

Mika found herself sitting on a stone floor in the middle of what looked like a fancy throne room; it was like something out of the medieval era, walls and floors decorated in varying patterns and a red carpet that led all the way to what appeared to be a cushioned throne, that was also red. The wall behind it decorated with colorful etchings that seemed to be meant to make the throne seem bigger than it was as well as seem like it was the center of the artistry behind it.

“Where am I...?” She wondered aloud a moment before she remembered that once Sam and Erik had said something about a castle one morning. Huge pillars seemed to line the walls. To say that the place was massive would be an understatement. No wonder Sam was used to yelling just to be heard in another room... Castles, like this one, weren’t really built with acoustics in mind... so one had to be loud just to be heard from more than a few feet away; how annoying that must have been. She looked down at herself as she moved to stand only to find herself translucent, like a ghost.

“Whoa!!” A jolt of shock and amazement ran through her. She stood up and inspected her hands. She was see-through! That was sort of cool... but why? What was going on here?

“How dare they try to negotiate with me?! Do they not know whom they speak to?!” The sound of the unknown speaker made her head snap up. She ran behind a pillar; the sound of the voice’s anger and his words, for surely it sounded male, frightened her. She felt a lot like a frightened child.

“My lord, please calm yourself...” A second voice spoke up.

“CALM?! They are merely testing my resolve! I have more than half of a mind to send my greatest armies to take what should be mine! They are mere insects in the way of my kingdom’s expansion!”

“They merely asked for a marriage joining.”

“So I am to bow to them and share my land, that I have so rightfully conquered?!” Feeling that she wouldn’t be seen, as the boys had said this would be a vision, she peeked from behind the pillar to see a large, gray demon draped with a red, royal cape with what looked to be feathered lining, but who was buff enough to be a military commander. His rage practically emanated from his body as he growled at the other demon, a servant from the looks of it. She’d done enough studying of medieval times to pick out such details.

“They are willing to give their land to you, sire! All they ask is for one of your sons to marry their daughter, whom I might add is as beautiful as can be!” It was obvious the servant was trying to placate the other.

“This is ridiculous! To suggest that I need their approval to take their land is beyond insanity. What makes them think that I care about their _precious daughter_?” The last words were said mockingly.

“Did I mention that she is a ... prodigy of our kind, sire?” This seem to get his attention.

“A ‘prodigy’?”

“Yes, my lord! This succubus is a master of her skills in magic and mind manipulation. She is said to sway armies with a snap of her fingers, despite being as young as she is.”  

“Impossible!”

“If it only were, sire! This succubus is dangerous, but would be a great asset to have should we agree to this arrangement. The only reason she cannot phase you, my lord, is because you are the strongest demon in the plains!”

“Is this supposed to change my mind?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“You are doing a terrible job at convincing me...”

“My apologies, sire...” She felt lost, were they talking about Diana? Why?

“Father?” She did a double take as she saw a young demon approach, he looked a little like James in that he had the same eyes and hair, but he had golden horns sticking out of his head and a gold pattern that swirled over his skin that looked a lot like some sort of paint though she was sure it wasn’t paint. Like the Demon Lord, his skin was a black color from the waist down, but the rest of him was a more pale, human color.

“Father... ?” Who was this demon child?

“Ah. Raestrao. Have you finished your training?” The eldest son? Then this was... James?!

“Yes, father.”

“Then what do you want.”

“I want to be with my brothers the rest of the day, father.” The demon commander walked to the younger demon and gripped his hair, picking him up off the ground and forcing him to look up at his snarl. The younger demon, however, looked unfazed... it was as if he’d seen it all before...

“Huh... arrogance. Why should I allow you to be with them? I should kill you for your lack of respect to me.”

“Because I want to be with them, father.” Mika stared in something of disbelief at how calm the young demon was, despite the massive difference between them. The young demon seemed weaker and easy to kill in comparison. Why would this man kill his son, though? Was this demon that ruthless? However, she wasn’t expecting him to laugh and release the young demon; yet he did.

“Ahahahahaha!! Good! Assertive even in the face of danger. That is why you are my favorite son.” That clenched it, she was sure now that this was a younger James. Like before, with Erik’s true name... the name Raestrao stuck fast in her memory, but she was sure she’d probably never use it. Why would she need to when she had Erik? She could only stare as the commander put his hand on the demon’s shoulder.

“Very well. Go. Tomorrow, you will show me your training.” The younger demon grinned widely before running off.

“I have a thought.” The Demon Lord said after the younger was out of sight.

“Yes, my lord?”

“How old is this daughter?”

“As old as your... fifth, sire.”

“Do you believe this proposal is worth it?”

“Yes, sire...”

“Tell those insects that they are safe for now. I will consider their offer.”

“Sire?! Are you certain?!”

“Did I stutter? Now go!” The demon servant quickly ran off, but as soon as he passed the pillar that MIka was hiding behind, he and the commander vanished into thin air.

“W-what the? ... is it...?” She didn’t have time to figure it out before a demon, who looked around her age, walked into the room reading a book. It was the same demon from before... she was sure... just by watching how he moved that this was James. It seemed like him anyway. He was the eldest of the boys and they had said that they’d show her everything... it only made sense... He was certainly a demon in appearance, but he was still more human than she had imagined he might be.

“Raestro, your nose is stuck in those books. Will you not lift your head up from them once in a while?” The voice of the other demon sounded familiar, but she was unsure who it belonged to as she circled around the pillar to see the other demon, he was leaning against another pillar and smirking at Raestrao. His markings were maroon, as were his horns which curved a little like a ram’s rather than forward, like Raestrao’s. He had violet eyes... only one person she knew had eyes like that... Erik.

“Aren’t you supposed to be with your mother practicing the harpsichord?” Exasperation colored his tone and she wondered why that was.

“I am, but I had a feeling that you were in danger.” Danger? What did he mean?

“In danger? What are you-”

“ATTACK!!” A younger voice yelled, all of the sudden three shadows zipped through the room and slammed into Raestrao, forcing him to fall to the ground and drop his book. As the sight cleared up for her, there were three other demons in a dog pile with Raestrao at the bottom.

“Get! OFF!”

“No way! You haven’t had a break in months from those stupid books! It’s time for PUNISHMENT!!”

“Death by brotherhood!!” The sight was comical, in a way.

“No more reading!!”

“I told you that you were in danger.” Erik smirked, Mika giggled; she suddenly knew who each of the demons were before her. Even in the demon world, their brotherly connection was astounding. These were merely younger versions of themselves, but she had guessed already that the one on the bottom had to have been James. One of the younger demons, whom she assumed was Matthew by his brilliant blue eyes and silver hair, grabbed the book from the floor and opened it, reading it mockingly.

“How can you read this, Raestrao? It’s all about war strategy! It’s boring!”

“I have to, Zecaeru- GET! OFF!!” That only verified her suspicions. The demon in blue with silver eyes was Matthew....

“There’s only one thing you need to know about strategy: kill ‘em all!! Take no prisoners!” That sounded like Sam...

“You sound just like father, hahaha!” Mika giggled along with Erik; it was cute to see them acting childish with each other. Eventually, James managed to push his brothers off him and stand, brushing himself off.

“You all are reckless.”

“At least we have fun!”


	16. What Was Past

“It’s true. You haven’t been with us in weeks. Don’t you think it’s time for a break?” Erik spoke up.

“I’m sure father won’t mind!” That was just like Matthew to think so.

“But... I have to-” James began.

“I know you want to, Raestrao.” She couldn’t help but laugh a little, it was so cute seeing Damien like this! He almost NEVER said anything! It was both shocking and cute really, watching the younger versions of the brothers... exactly how old were they anyway? She brushed off the question, it didn’t really matter.

“Damn it... I-”

“What is going on here?” Mika almost sighed. Of _course_ they would be interrupted... and by their beast of a father no less. He was aged a little, staring at the boys with his arms across his chest. Damien quickly dashed and hid behind Sam, peeking over his shoulder to see the Demon Lord.

“Nothing is going on. We just passed by each other.”

“Then why does your brother have your book?”

“I was showing him what I was learning, father.”

“Return to your studies, Raestrao. The rest of you, out of my sight. Do not disturb your brother again.” She stared as James gently took his book and, without looking at his brothers, returned to reading. The Demon Lord walked passed the remaining brothers, growling at Sam and Damien, before leaving the room. _What was up with that?_

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll find a way to get him back.” Erik reassured the others.

“I don’t know... he’s on a very tight leash...” Matthew seemed uncertain. Sam looked at Damien who had made a quiet sound.

“Izroul, you’re quiet. What did you hear?” Izroul... so that was Damien’s true name.

“He’s going to a negotiation meeting... He’s going to arrange a marriage.”

“A marriage?! For who?”

“It must be for one of us... “ Matthew trailed off.

“He hasn’t decided who will marry her...  It’s a girl from a kingdom he wants to take over...”

“But... that’s uncharacteristic of him... Usually he’d just attack with the army.” Erik frowned in puzzlement.

“Whatever the case is, one of us is getting married.”

“I hope it isn’t me...” _I can’t blame you for that... but wouldn’t it make more sense to be ... ?_

“What about Raestrao? He is the eldest...” Damien spoke up, as if hearing her thoughts.

“It would make sense... but having a succubus marrying one of us means that she’ll be practically married to all of us...” Mika wasn’t sure about where Erik had come up with _that_ of all things... but at the same time he had a point... seeing as they were so close despite everything.  

“Well, what should we do?” Before the conversation could continue, the group vanished into thin air; fading into different colored mists and letting her know that the vision was changing again. They were replaced by an older Damien and Matthew, sitting with each other in the middle of the throne room. Now that they weren’t huddled together, she was able to get a closer look at them.

Matthew’s horns were a darker shade of blue than his eyes and seemed smaller than those of his brothers, being only a few feet in length likely. His markings were like ocean waves across his upper arms, torso while a single band seemed to encircle his neck. The rest of his arms were covered in solid blue that was almost black, like he was wearing gloves or something. Damien, on the other hand, had black markings and his horns curved much like a ram’s horns. His markings that covered his torso, arms, legs and neck, made her think of spider legs in their shape. It was a little odd, but not scary to see the brothers this way; after all, they were demons... this was the form, she realized, that Erik had hoped she wouldn’t see in the fight against Malix. Had she thought that she would be scared of him if she saw him as he was here? The thought of his expression, during that fight, flashed in her mind. Well... maybe she might have been, but not because he was a demon... mostly, maybe, an instinctual fear for the power that he had displayed and how easily he had used it to kill. Her thoughts were interrupted when Matthew spoke up.

“Do you think we should?”

“I really want to.”

“I want to as well... Still, it’ll be hard to convince Raestrao, since he’s the one about to be married and he’s the favorite...”

“We don’t know that, Zecaeru. Maybe she’s set to marry YOU.”

“No way! I don’t wanna get married!”

“I don’t think you’ll have a problem with that baby-face of yours.” Mika turned to see Sam joining the duo, he crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at his brothers. She studied him a moment, he looked like his brothers... except that his wavy markings, similar to Matthew’s in pattern, were green like his horns, which jutted out gently in a wave up from his head. Unike Matthew, though the markings near his neck looked like three vicious hooks together. Matthew looked rather unhappy with Sam, which wasn’t unusual.

“What are you two talking about?”

“We got into contact with the human world again.” Damien replied, closing his eyes as he seemed to do often. This version of him seemed a lot more like the one who was showing her all of this.

“Come on, Izroul... you give humans too much attention.”

“No way! You gotta listen! They apparently have stories and books and schools and stuff!” Mika didn’t think Matthew was going to convince Sam to join them that way.

“So what? It’s full of humans who piss on each other for no reason. They’re no better than the devil-spawn.” Mika frowned at that. Sure, some humans were bad... but not all.

“Nuh-uh! The one we were talking to wasn’t like that!”

“How do you know, Zecaeru?!”  

“Because I do!!” Mika wonder if they were talking about her grandfather.

“What is going on here?” Mika finally got a very good look at James too, aside from having large horns that curved forward and were larger than even his father’s horns, they were a deep bronze while his markings were a dark gold that seemed to flow across his arms and torso like gentle figures. Mika remembered Erik had said that they each had different mothers and so that was why they looked so different from one another though they did share some traits.

“They want to go to the human world.” Sam said, like it was the most boring thing ever.

“The human world?”

“Raestrao, think about it! You won’t have to marry that girl and be the heir anymore! You could be with us and we can make lives for ourselves in the new world!” Even though she knew how this likely ended, because she knew each of the boys, she wondered if Matthew would convince James. Was this the right point in time? It was hard to know.

“Now you’re just talking nonsense!” Sam protested.

“I vote that we do it.” Erik chimed in. Now that her attention could focus on him, she got a better look at Erik’s markings. They were like gentle flower stems in the way that they curved over him and ended in rounded points though his markings looked like they were almost a brown rather than the bright maroon that his horns were, which curved, she saw, less like that of a ram than Damien’s were, but still similar curve.

“Huh? Oh not you, too!” Sam seemed to groan.

“Think about it. This might be our chance to finally get away from this political nonsense we’re stuck in. We may be nobles, but we’re still our own beings.” She nodded, that they were. James didn’t say a word.

“Raestrao is in.”

“Wha- Izroul!” Mika giggled a little, she wondered what Sam’s real name was, his and Erik’s were the only two she hadn’t heard, but she shrugged it off. She really didn’t need to know.

“Woo!! So, how do we get there?”

“Are you kidding me? You don’t even know how we’d get there?!”

“A simple spell _should_ work, but it would require someone from the human world to help us get there.” Erik replied.

“We can ask him!” Matthew seemed excited.

“Ah! He’d definitely help us!” She was sure that Damien meant her grandfather; things seemed to click in her mind now.

“I’m... I’m not so sure about-”

“Raestrao. Aren’t you tired of pleasing father all of the time?” Erik cut in.

“I am, but-”

“If you stay, you’ll be married off and become ruler of father’s kingdom. You’ll have no time for yourself or with us and you’ll be constantly at war with the other realms for power. You’ll most likely turn into the spitting image of father.” The idea didn’t seem to appeal to James and she suddenly began to understand what it was he was running from... what they _all_ were.

“What he’s saying is get your head out of your ass and let’s go! If you don’t say yes, I’ll drag your princely ass with us. I don’t care what that bastard of a father wants.”

“Come on, Raestrao...” Matthew seemed to plead.

“Alright. Let’s do this. What’s the plan?” He asked and the others smiled, she finally had the whole history right in front of her and understood the brothers now more than ever. They had sacrificed everything to be together. They’d rather be free than remain in their noble roles. Mika started to feel a little jealous; they were able to leave while she was still expected to be what her father wanted her to be. How they were able to leave was uncertain in details, but she knew she would learn in time.


	17. A Glimpse of Guidance

Mika closed her eyes and mentally asked Damien to end the vision. As soon as she asked, the world around her slowly vanished and she was brought back to the bedroom where she sat with her head nestled in Damien’s hands. Her vision began to clear, letting her fully see the boys around her, all of them wore concern on their faces; were they expecting her to be scared of them or something? 

“So, you now know exactly who we are...” James, of course, was the first to speak up. 

“Diana is the girl you were arranged to marry?” 

“Not anymore. Once we left, the arrangement was broken. With no sons to marry off, our dad couldn’t go through with the marriage deal.” 

“If Diana is here for us, that means she’s trying to save her kingdom from being attacked.” Mika almost agreed with Erik until Damien spoke.

“That’s not true. She wants to rule our kingdom. Having one of us will give her the right to our kingdom as much as we’d have right over hers.”

“So she’s a gold-digger!” Well... Matthew wasn’t wrong in that assumption, it seemed. 

“Well, with a kingdom like ours, what succubus wouldn’t want to marry us for it?” She nodded in thought, it did seem like such a great thing, but in truth she knew it wasn’t... at least not for the boys. She thought over Diana’s analogy in class. It wasn’t just her trying to sway her over to her side, it seemed, but was almost a full-blown comparison to her own problems. Knowing what she did now... Diana certainly wasn’t evil... but that didn’t make what she was trying to do right either... Whether her motives were really what Damien had said or what Erik had suggested, it didn’t really matter, the question now was what they should do about it. It seemed, in her mind, that Diana had come to bring them back because she knew that, despite her powers, she wouldn’t be able to fight their father, so she had to find another way. The entire concept of it gave her a headache and she wasn’t sure if she hated Diana for it or pitied her at this point. Suddenly she felt her head grow heavy and she felt dizzy. She gripped her head, mewling under her breath. 

“W-what the...” 

“I took too much! I’m so sorry!” 

“It’s okay.” 

“Rest now. There’s no need to do anything more today.” Mika nodded a little in agreement with Jamie’s words even as the other boys rushed over and helped her lay back down as now her vision was painted in white polkadots. She needed sleep, badly. Instantly she closed her eyes and let the darkness of sleep consume her. After what seemed like hours, she finally woke up, slightly refreshed. Her body knew that if she slept any longer she’d be up all night, which was not part of the plan for the day. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, letting a soft groan escape her lips. In response, something beside her bed shuffled, causing her to look over. She didn’t know what she was expecting. Beside her, sitting in a chair beside the bed, was Erik; he was rousing himself up only to see that she was wake. She smiled at him, seeing his slightly ruffled hair and tired eyes, aware that he must have been watching over her. 

“Oh, you’re awake...” He yawned.

“How do you feel?” 

“Better.” He nodded before he reached over and gently put his hand over hers, running his thumb over her knuckles and examining her face with a soft sadness. 

“I must apologize, princess... To see you be hunted by both demons and devils... I feel entirely responsible.” 

“Erik, it’s not your fault-” 

“No. Forgive me, but I can’t stand the thought of them hurting you... If we had never come, you’d never be in danger...” She slipped a hand from his and gently lay her fingers over his lips, stopping him from going any further. She didn’t want to hear him blame himself and his brothers anymore. 

“Erik... it’s okay. I wanted to help you out. I offered to let you all stay. Nothing is your fault.” She gently moved her hand and cupped his cheek, staring at him with concern. She didn’t want him to hold guilt in his mind about this whole ordeal. Diana was desperate, she’d hunt anyone down for them. It wasn’t his fault she was desperate enough to hunt them down. Still, she couldn’t help but be curious and want to know more about Erik and the life he’d had.

“So, Erik, you’re a noble?” He chuckled before he stared down at the hand he was caressing with a soft smile.

“Yes. I am a noble. My brothers and I are nobles. Well... I guess I should say ‘were’ now, shouldn’t I?”  

“Were?”

“James was the demon prince when we lived in the Abyssal Plains. The others and I were simply nobles living in the castle simply because of our bloodline. Should James fail or die, we were the ‘replacements.’ Well, we didn’t want to live like that, as simply replacements over our brother. So, we all wanted to leave and be an actually family.”

“What was it like while you were there?” 

“Well, to put it simply, it was boring. James was constantly being trained while the rest of us had to constantly entertain ourselves without disturbing him. I, however, was also being trained under the guidance of my mother.” 

“Your mother?” 

“Yes. She was a lovely woman. I never knew what she looked like.” That made no sense... How could he not know what his own mother looked like? As if he read her mind, he smiled and chuckled at the confusion on her face. 

“Our father had multiple wives. James, myself, Sam and Matthew came from these very women, but tensions grew high when Damien was born outside our father’s marriages. In order to quell the tension, our father had a powerful demon mage turn our mothers into simple floating spirits. They lived, but they could not have physical form.”

“That’s horrible!”  

“It is, but which was better: a house where the sons of the Demon Lord could have their birth mothers, or watching these very women claw at each other’s throats out of jealousy, leaving the sons with no true parental guidance?” Terrible as it was, he had a point.

“Our father didn’t have time for anyone but James, so the rest of us needed someone to make sure we didn’t grow up to be incompetent.” It seemed so terrible, but logical at the same time. She bit her lip, nodding in understanding; he brought her hand up to kiss her knuckles. 

“Would you like to see what I mean, instead?” She was confused a moment before the memory of when he’d showed her the demon castle replayed in her mind. She nodded and let her curiosity guide her; he smiled before simply holding out one hand to her and letting a small breath rush against his palm. Instantly, the flower he’d given her appeared in his hand, making him smirk and she blushed a bit. 

“You kept it. Good.” He wrapped his fingers around the stem, giving it the magic it had before and casting an aura-like mirror before her. She peered in to see the castle’s main hall again. The memory of being in the hall, albeit by magic, sent a small shiver down her spine. As she watched, a very familiar demon walked arm-in-arm with a woman with cat ears and a tail down the walkway.

“Tiffy, my sweet kitten, you truly astound me. What ever shall I do with you?” 

“Teeheehee! Stop it! You’re making me blush!” 

“But what if I want to make you blush? You’re so much cuter when you blush, kitten...” 

“Eeheehee! Stooop!” Mika felt irritation rise in her. Why was Erik showing her this? Was he trying to spite her? She didn’t want to see him flirt with demon girls, she already had some trouble with him flirting with her like that. 

“Heehee! You sly incubus, you! I’ll get in trouble for sure if I’m caught with you!” 

“Then shouldn’t we make the risk worthwhile?” Erik held the cat girl close to his body, looking about ready to kiss her; however, she mewed and pulled away, giggling in almost cute embarrassment. 

“Mii! Such a bad incubus! So bad! I should go.” 

“Ahh, very well, you minx. Until we meet again.” The cat girl giggled before rushing out of the main hall, but not before Erik lowered one hand underneath her tail as she turned and let it slide across his fingers as she ran off, making the cat girl jump in surprise. She playfully glared at Erik, who only pouted ‘innocent’ lips in return, before she exited. As the girl left the room, however, his face went from flirtatious to almost ice-cold. He let out a sigh and gently rubbed his hands to rid them of the fur that had caught on them and rolled his shoulders. What the heck?! Why the sudden one-eighty? What the heck happened? He was flirty, charming and almost disgustingly complimentary, but the Erik she was seeing now wasn’t him at all... 

“Well, mother, was that enough to please you?” Her eyes widened a little as the implication of his words sank in. A small red orb, surrounded with a pell of purple mist, appeared, making her mind go blank. It approached him, glowing as it spoke.

“Very well done, dear. Much better than I expected of you.” 

“Thank you. You taught me well.” 

“That I did. You must never forget, however, to always listen to your women. Serving them is your number one priority. Should they be uncomfortable, you must step back and be as submissive as possible.” 

“Yes, mother.” 

“Good. Now, continue to woo that cat girl. Once she gives you her energy, then you can toss her back out. You don’t need any pets hanging around when you find another girl.” 

“As you wish, mother.” Mika felt disgust wash over her as the orb vanished; Erik remained in the hall, letting out a sigh. He had a look of displeasure on his face, he looked tired as well, but something seemed off. 


	18. Diana's Offer

Like he had a lot on his mind, but his mouth wouldn’t let him speak. He was submissive to his guidance; however wrong it may be. She turned from the mirror to look at Erik who had a look of both sadness and guilt. It was like a puppy admitting to chewing her favorite shoe or a child stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. He stopped the magic, willing the mirror out of existence and letting it fade away in the air before he looked at her.

“She taught me well.. At least what she could teach me, anyway. That visage became habit and now it’s a natural persona to me. She taught me to always serve and make the women I met happy. She always said that _that_ was the true incubus way.”

“The ‘true’ incubus way?” She couldn’t help but feel that was wrong. Yes they were demons who fed off sexual energy, but still...

“It makes sense, no? If I can please and serve any women I meet, then I can surely convince them to fully give their energy to me.” She let out a quiet sight. He wasn’t putting on airs because he was overly complimentary... he was complementary in order to gain trust and respect, but there was still something so wrong about being taught that it was the only way to gain trust and respect. There was so much more to life than that.

“Well... that is smart...” She trailed off, she had to admit that much.

“It is... However, I know what you’re thinking, princess... I don’t blame you for thinking what you are thinking of right now...” She looked at him, did he really?

“Then what am I thinking of right now?”

“Who am I, exactly? If I am truly not as flirtatious as I act, then what **do** I act like and will you be the next victim? I can assure you, princess, that I am no danger to you.”  She’d never thought she was in any danger with him, she thought she knew the real him... or had seen glimpses of it... but how could she be sure?

“How can I be so sure?”

“Because, princess, I don’t deserve your trust or energy.” She stared, what did he mean? Erik lifted her hand again and gently caressed it, staring down at it.

“You’ve done so much for me and my brothers... Sheltering us, letting us continue to live here... It may not seem like much, but to a family of brothers without anywhere to go, it means everything...” She knew he wouldn’t want to risk his brothers having that shelter just because of something he did. She understood too well that he loved his brothers in a way that she rarely saw any family.

“I can’t soil your gifts to us by taking anything from you. You’ve become so important to us and precious to us... to me... To take anything from you like that would be beyond unforgivable...” Her heart thumped in her chest as he lifted her hand higher and simply laid his lips against it. She could feel the slight frown and the shame burning itself into her skin. It was a pitiful sight and almost made her eyes water. He was so kind and loving beneath that mask.

“I could never do that to you...” He lowered her hand and his head, ashamed. She couldn’t help but feel her heart squeeze at that. He didn’t want to hurt her... He truly cared... He let out a small sigh before look at her, his face now clear of the flirtatious mask he’d bore for so long. He had a genuine, caring and loving smile bared for her. This was the man inside the incubus who cared for her, his brothers, and wanted to be revealed.

“Now princess, you must get some more rest. You aren’t fully recovered and dinner is a good scent to wake up to.” She couldn’t agree more as he smiled and gently pressed her back down onto the bed. She knew, though it wasn’t right to let him leave without doing something to show that she cared for him in return. That she had seen the man beneath the mask and cared for that man. She quickly pulled Erik down to her, lifted her head, and gently kissed him; softly laying a hand on his cheek to keep his face close. He stared in deep surprise before hesitantly returning the kiss, caressing her cheek and slightly melting at the touch of their lips. A soft sigh escaped his lips before he slowly pulled away with a smile; this time it reached his eyes and made her heart beat a little faster. He gently licked his lips, making her flush at the simple gesture; he let out a satisfied sigh before nuzzling her forehead.

“Sleep...” He said gently, and with that he stood up and left the room, leaving her to rest as per his request. She smiled before relaxing into the mattress. The sound of familiar laughter, though, had her bolting up again, tensing.  She felt majorly uneasy. Something wasn’t right. She could feel it in her core.

“ _She_ must be here.” The thought of Diana in the house again infuriated Mika beyond belief. She had to make sure that she wasn’t just hearing things... that she wasn’t here. Mika quickly left her room, wandering the halls and listening closely. Diana was a demon, but she was listening very intently. There was no way that she would have been able to sneak up on her.

“I know you’re here... where are you...?” She felt herself growl. It wasn’t a matter of fear that she’d take away the boys anymore; but her very existence had lit a fire of rage within her gut which only grew as each day went by. This feud was getting on her nerves and she knew it would not end well for one of them. She wasn’t going to lose to that demon bitch and that was that.

“Diana. What a pleasant surprise.” The sound of Erik’s voice let her know where Diana was; her heart stopped at the thought of the demoness with him. Her mind flew into slow motion, playing fake images of Diana trying to seduce Erik, even worse was the fact that he could play into her flirtatious game. She followed the sound of Erik’s voice only to blush wildly as she realized she was approaching a bathroom. The door was open a crack, just wide enough to peek in without being noticed. Erik was by the bathtub with Diana sitting on the sink, looking at him.

“Teehee! Such a gentleman. You know how to treat a woman.”

“That I do. However, I’m afraid that my manners will not replace my sickening hatred towards you.” His words were almost happy near the end, it was almost comical in way, but not.

“Ahh! I’m hurt. Wounded, truly. Is this how you really address a woman?”

“A woman you may be, but you are an enemy as well.”

“Pity, and here I thought I was going to offer you the chance to become something better than just a simple incubus...” What was Diana going on about? More than just an incubus? She was insane.

“I highly doubt you have anything more than what I can have here in the human world.”

“How about becoming the next Demon Lord?” He looked at her in shock while Mika froze. What did she mean? Becoming the next Demon Lord? The boys weren’t in the demon world anymore. They had no claim to the throne anymore...

“Becoming the next Demon Lord? You’re overstepping yourself, don’t you think? How can you know about who the throne goes to?”

“Well, currently, I am the contracted bride to the heir to the throne. Since the throne is open, it’s available to any son of the Demon Lord’s line.”

“Is that so?”

“It is. You’ll gain the throne, the land, and a bride to continue your lineage with... Doesn’t that sound like a perfect life for an incubus like you?” Mika gripped her fists tightly in anger; she knew that offer was a very tempting one... She couldn’t help but feel anger though over how she was trying to convince Erik to return to the demon world. He’d run away from it with his brothers. He didn’t have to back. He **shouldn’t** go back... not to that... Still, in the silence that prevailed, her mind began to wonder; imagining him saying yes. He would leave and the brothers would follow to bring him back. They’d be trapped because Diana would make sure they could never leave. Erik would be the new Demon Lord with Diana as his queen and she... she’d lose him.

“Sorry, but that actually doesn’t sound appeasing at all.”

“What?” She asked in irritated disbelief while Mika felt surprise run through her. Had she heard Erik correctly? He’d denied her?

“You dare deny-”

“Do not try to raise a tone to me. I am not as submissive as my training defines.” Mika was actually glad to hear that. She could see ethereal tendrils slowly form around Erik, taunting and threatening to strike at Diana.

“You do not scare me. I can bring you to your knees and make you beg to return with me.”

“Such a cute bluff. You don’t have enough power to do that, do you? Or else you would have already done it.” He smirked before making the tendrils fade away; Diana gripped the sink beneath her as Erik turned to adjust the shower head nonchalantly.

“Besides, even if you did enthrall me, you wouldn’t fully own me. I belong to her.”

“Pfft! The human girl? You must be joking. A human like her can’t possibly provide you what you need. She’s a human, you’re a demon.” Since when did THAT make any difference? Incubi sustained themselves on sexual energy... when did it matter WHERE that energy came from?! That was the final straw. She was tired of all this. It was time to set this ignorant, piece of shit succubus straight... She stepped into the room without hesitation, throwing open the door, the two looked at her in surprise, if looks could do anything... Diana would have been set on fire. The two of them looked at her in surprise as she glared daggers at Diana. Her voice was quiet, but full of deadly heat.

“Get. Out.”

“Well, well, little human. You’re awfully nosey in business that doesn’t concern you.”

“It **does** concern me.”

“Does it? I don’t think a human would understand the importance of this affair.” She really was an idiot... did she not know anything about the human world? About how it operated now? How it used to?! From what she could see, demons were still living in the Dark Ages and _that_ was a shame but that didn’t mean she was just going to step aside and let Diana have her way because of such stupidity.


	19. Love

“You’re asking him to leave, to be someone he doesn’t want to be. That’s not going to happen.”

“Oh? And what makes you so sure about that?”

“Because I love him.” This wasn’t the way she’d wanted to tell Erik, but the shock in Diana’s eyes was worth it. Was it not what she expected from her? Screw her expectations, she didn’t care what that demon before her expected; she wasn’t going to lose the man she had grown to love.  

“You... love him?”

“Yes. I love him.” She reaffirmed without hesitation, her heart beating in her chest; churning with the emotions she felt just then. There was no doubting it, she loved Erik... loved everything about him and with equal strength she despised what Diana was trying to do. She could see he was as surprised as Diana at the admission, but his surprise faded after a moment and a smile graced his lips, a true smile. Diana’s lips twitched, the edges curling into an amused smirk as she stared at Mika.

“So what? A human’s love isn’t enough to understand this situation. A demon can never reciprocate human feeling.” Her heart thumped painfully in her chest, but she didn’t care about that. Diana obviously didn’t understand how the human heart worked... how love worked. When it was love, true and pure... it understood everything. It didn’t judge and it didn’t need someone to reciprocate it. It was self-sustaining and one of the most powerful things on the planet. Love had stopped wars, had changed human minds... it could be the very reason that two very different cultures would lay down their weapons, no matter how long the feud between them had been, and embrace one another... love was a very powerful thing indeed and it brought about miracles every single day. She almost pitied the demon before her who seemed to know nothing of what love could do, of what love was. To both of their surprise, Erik stepped forward and put an arm around Mika, pulling her close to his body.

“I love her.”  The conviction and confidence in his tone, let alone the words, sent her heart pounding in her chest in pure joy. The confidence Diana had shattered in her eyes as she stared at Erik at his words. She could see the struggle in her face to try and find some weakness in Erik. In her. Anything. There was no weakness in love, however,

“A demon love a human...? Impossible.”

“Impossible? How utterly dim to think that. We are the masters of emotion. We aren’t barred away from feeling love. In fact, we can experience it ten _times more powerfully than humans_.” They could?

“I love her with every single part of my being; however, I don’t expect someone like you to understand love.” There was disgust in his tone. Diana took a step back, seeming to physically feel the sting of Erik’s words; she had lost. It was evident in her eyes now. Diana’s eyes grew dull as she glared at the two of them. It seemed almost uncharacteristic of her, yet, it was something that she wasn’t surprised to see come from her.

“Very well... Fine... Vale.” What the heck was that suppose to mean? Diana faded into the ground into a purple pentagram, as she had previous times, crossing her arms and almost looking... upset. Erik and her were left alone, left with the silence of the room; Mika finally let out the breath she’d unconsciously been holding, relaxing from the ordeal. Erik stepped closer to her and held her gently, surprising her.

“Are you okay, princess?” She nodded in response, unable to speak so immediately after being surprised like that. He let out a sigh, relaxing in the embrace; she turned and gently placed her hands around him, returning the embrace slightly. She could hear his heartbeat as her head lay against his chest; as he held her close in his arms she felt safe beyond words.

“My sweet princess... how you’ve captured my heart...” She looked up at him then, wondering at  his words; Erik, moving a strand of her hair from her face as he looked down at her. She was sure there was a faint blush on her cheeks.

“I’m selfish, ignorant, and undeserving of everything you have done and given to me... The way you accept me and see through my mask _astounds_ me beyond words... and now, you’ve captured my heart and claimed it as yours to probably the greatest adversary in the Abyssal Plains... You’ve made a demon fall in love you... I’ve fallen in love with you and want to give you everything you deserve...” She knew she was staring, blushing like a maniac by this time. Was this real? No way. This couldn’t be real... it had to be a dream right? Was _Erik_ confessing to her? Confessing his _love_ for her? He gently caressed her cheek, staring into her eyes with a loving, almost hopeful expression. The warmth of his hand invited her to nuzzle into it; she did so, closing her eyes. She felt the truth of it. This wasn’t some dream. Her heart was pounding hard enough that she was sure Erik could hear it. She opened her eyes to look at him, he gently leaned in, closing his eyes; he stopped, however, remaining just a mere torturous inch away from her lips. It was obvious. He wanted her to show her feelings for him. He had left himself open for her to kiss him or leave him empty. The power she suddenly had over him, it was unbelievable...  She loved him though and wanted to give him exactly what he wanted. She gently leaned in, letting her lips finally touch his gingerly. He let out an almost surprised gasp against her lips before wrapping both of his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She moved her arms up around his neck, feeling the kiss between them deepen to a heated height. Her chest was pounding, making her both feel and see fireworks in her mind. Erik was everything that she desired. He was the man that she wanted, demon or not; noble or not, it didn’t matter to her. It never had. Since the first moment he had appeared before her with his brothers and his sweet words to her when he had taken a kiss from her to prove that they were who they said they were... to the way he had defended her against Malix, both with words and with his power... Coming to her rescue like a knight in shining armor... It was like some fairytale. It was her fairytale. It was all so supernatural; it fall in love with someone so quickly. Maybe it was because of the sense of magic she’d been thrown into, maybe it was Cupid playing with her heart... or maybe something more. It didn’t matter, she found herself melting at the thought of him being with her. She soon found herself combing her fingers through his hair, making the man who held her softly tremble at her touch. He gently nibbled on her lower lip, asking her to deepen the kiss between them even further. She easily teased him a moment by nipping back before she opened her mouth a bit for him. His tongue gently danced with hers as one of his hands slid up her back and cradled her head. He gently leaned her back, making her cling to him for balance as the heat of their kiss rose higher and higher. Gently, though, Erik slowed the kiss down and pulled away, staring down at her. His eyes burned for her, wanting her to melt and buckle in his arms. She could feel herself begin to melt already just by meeting his eyes. His gaze alone made her feel weak in the knees. He opened his mouth to speak, but as a very small blush ran along his cheeks, he was reduced suddenly to shy silence. She stared at he tried to find the words to say, meeting her gaze as if the words were written in her eyes for him to read. She knew what he wanted; she could feel it in the way he was holding her, the way he looked at her. He didn’t need energy, though, right? She hadn’t forgotten what had happened last time when he had needed energy. She’d blacked out and while she had enjoyed the heated kisses they’d shared on the grass in the back yard then, it was a mite embarrassing to realize she’d passed out even after it had happened. Apparently that was the result of having her energy taken so thoroughly like that, but because he had... he’d been able to deal with Malix like the gnat he was. She was certain that her energy that she’d given him had contributed to that, he’d said as much back then. Even then, she realized, she had begun to love this man for who he was... even without knowing his past, without knowing his real appearance... she had fallen head over heels for this demon.   

“Are you...?” She asked, uncertain.  

“No... I just...” So she was right, he didn’t need the energy. She stared, feeling the blush on her cheeks grow. He didn’t say anything more, but he didn’t need to really, she knew what words would have followed if he’d continued. He wanted her. Plain and simple. She was stunned, honestly. Was she really that appealing to him? Did his passion really run that deep for her? He gently nuzzled her forehead, losing his blush and finally being able to speak.

“If you don’t want to, we don’t have to... I do have to shower after all and you need your rest...” The last words were said more gently even as he let her go, they stood there now; him waiting for her answer and her trying to wrap her mind around it all. Mika felt her mind go numb and purr at the idea. A moment with an incubus. **Her** incubus... He was a demon of sex, the purest form of lust and desire. Her world would rock and she knew she would enjoy every second of it. At the same time, she was indeed... inexperienced. Diana wasn’t wrong when she had claimed Mika to be innocent of such things. Did she want to give that innocence to him? Especially this early in their relationship? As she thought it over, she suddenly found herself forgetting the words ‘yes’ and ‘no.” What could she say to him to truly express what she felt then? She knew, suddenly what she wanted to say, but how to say it without breaking the moment...


	20. Seduce Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who haven't played the game, this chapter is named after the choice to have sex with the chosen incubi (in this case, Erik); you can skip over this chapter if you want to. It's not really relevant to the story line itself (though it does have some relevance in the game) and all you need to know about the end of the chapter is at the bottom (if you want to scroll down).

“Seduce me.” She couldn’t believe the two words that had suddenly slipped out of her mouth. It made the most sense to her then to tell him yes. She needed him. She wanted him. Those two words must have made something in him finally break. Erik simply ran his fingers down his vest and shirt, releasing the buttons and revealing his chest to her. She couldn’t help but move one of her hands down his chest, running her fingers over the crevices of his muscles. A pleasured purr escaped from his throat, making her shiver slightly at the sound. He let the vest and shirt slide down his arms to the floor before cradling her head in his hands and kissing her deeply. She felt heat rise in her body, making her undo the tie underneath her collar and release the buttons on her own shirt. She would join him for his shower, then they’d head to bed together.... She quickly removed the shirt and vest, making him pause in kissing her and stare at her in slight surprise; she was now only in her bra, but she could feel a blush invade her cheeks. Her shy side began to creep up into her mind. Did she really want this? To undress before a demon? No, this wasn’t just a demon, he was the man she loved, yet she felt her innocence drape over her in almost shame. As if he knew, he caressed her cheek, smiling at her before kissing each cheek and whispering into her ear. 

“You’re beautiful...” Those two words slipped into her mind and broke the barrier of her inhibitions. She gave in; yielded to her desires that were clouding her mind and before she knew it, both of them were stripped of clothing and in a very nice, warm shower together. The heat between their bodies simply added to the warmth, making the shower a very steamy one; he pulled her close, knowing that she was still shy, and began to kiss her lips over and over. Each kiss was his promise to keep her safe, comfortable, to love her. She kept her arms wrapped around him, taking each kiss he gave and giving him her own kisses in return. She didn’t know if it was the fact that they were both naked or maybe she just craved his touch, but she didn’t want to let him go. The water ran over their bodies, cleansing their skin as they held onto each other like it was the end of the world. Even when Erik started to actually clean his body... and hers... their bodies constantly touched in some way. The fragrance of the soap engraved itself into her memory as she let him touch and clean her. He was gentle and sweet, making sure to be attentive to every part of her; however, as he held her, she could slightly feel the shiver of his hands. He was nervous? Was she his first? That didn’t seem likely at all, but if so... he wasn’t going to show it. He wanted her to enjoy this moment, but seemed afraid of screwing up; his shivering hands showed her his emotions perfectly. After a moment her mind made a realization. Were they really going to join in the shower? She had imagined her first to be in a bed... With that in mind, she pulled away from him after the last bit of soap was rinsed away from her skin. He looked at her, worried, but she smiled. 

“Not here.” He stared for a brief moment before slightly smirking and nodding; he understood and gathered her back into his arms and kissed her. She felt warm magic gather around their bodies as the slight pattern of the running water vanished. She slightly opened her eyes to see that they were no longer in the shower, but her bedroom. They were both dry, but the heat and passion remained. Erik guided her to the bed as a purple tendril made sure the door was closed and locked. As he laid her down and knelt over her, he smiled and finally embraced her as they both desired. The pleasure between them was heavenly and they went through it together in every kiss, every touch. She closed her eyes as she arched beneath him and gave herself to Erik completely. Her body, her mind, her soul: it all belonged to him as he held her. His body, his mind, his soul: it belonged to her as she gave into his embrace. The feel of his kisses and fingers over her skin would forever engrave themselves into her memory as their passion rose to incredible heights with each kiss and touch that they received and gave one another. Their breathing quickened and their moans to each other equally sounded and echoed like a blissful chant that they never wished to end. They moved, loved, felt every inch of their bodies as they melded together until they’d had enough and she was enveloped in his embrace as they reached the peak height. Skin to skin, heartbeats matching, they held each other in the glow of the aftermath. She nuzzled her head under Erik’s chin as he held her close.

“I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” Just to hear those words come from Erik’s mouth made her heart flutter; to hear her own answer made her soul warm in joyous rapture. They both sank into a peaceful sleep together; it was the best sleep she’d had in days and she was happy. There were no regrets in her mind. She had love, happiness; her life was simply perfect in that moment. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself staring into Erik’s bare chest. She blushed, but looked up to see Erik still sleeping. To see him sleeping made her giggle softly in pure happiness, but the reality of the situation also made her heart flutter. She almost couldn’t believe it. She was lying next to the man she had grown to love with all her heart, warmed by his body heat even after the aftermath of their love making had vanished. His warm embrace made her feel safe and, as the tender moment they’d shared replayed in her head, she couldn’t help but smile and snuggle into his chest further. Unconsciously, he held her tighter to his body, giving her more of his warmth. She didn’t want to move, she was perfectly content and happy where she was at. Her mind didn’t wander as she simply basked in the feeling of joy and contentment that came with being in his embrace, nevermind that neither of them wore anything beneath the silk covers that draped over them gently. He was everything she could ever want in a partner... kind, caring... Loving, but also fierce when he needed to be and there was no doubt that he had both the power and the skill to protect her, should the need ever arise again. While there was a certain part of her that had been thrilled he’d been so adamant about protecting her... that he had trusted her with his true name to use to summon him whenever and wherever she may need him... she also hoped that she would never need to ever use it again. Well... not like that anyway. She hadn’t been daring enough, but the thought of saying his true name at the height of passion had crossed her mind. She just wasn’t sure how he’d react if she did something like that. She pursed her lips in thought over the matter. Should she ask first? She really was sorely tempted, but she didn’t want to cross some line. After all, it wasn’t something to be taken lightly... but neither was the love that she felt for him. Even if it had risen quickly over the few days she’d gotten to know him and his brothers. Despite that she knew more about them from the vision, she knew she still didn’t know everything. Mika felt that there was more behind each of the brothers, that their past delved deeper that what she’d been shown... even the extra that Erik had shown her in the flower had been only a small glimpse into the life he’d led. She knew that life wasn’t pretty for Erik and his brothers, but she couldn’t help her curiosity there anymore than she could stop herself from imagining the reaction Erik might have if she had allowed herself to be bold enough to groan his true name out in pleasure.... She was sure it would be worth it... if he was okay with it that was. She didn’t want to make him mad at her for any reason... so yeah... she would have to ask him about that at a later time. As she tried to imagine how the conversation would go, she felt her core tighten and it made her move from his embrace and sit up without waking the man next to her. She felt her body begin to move, but it wasn’t of her own will and she had a feeling she knew who was behind this because while she was bold with Erik she really wasn’t bold enough to simply do as she was about to. She moved to the balcony window and opened the glass, stepping out on the patio without even bothering to dress first. Yeah, she definitely did not have THAT much bravado in her, which only made her angry that she was being forced into this even as the cool night air played over her skin. It took away the heat that she had gained in Erik’s embrace. She stared at Diana, who sat cross-legged on the railing of the balcony; her glowing red eyes staring at her, not caring about whether or not she had any clothes on as their eyes met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who skipped down here and not wanting to read the scene above, all you need know is that Diana has compelled the main character to her, with her magic, where she sits on the balcony.


	21. True Feelings

Mika opened her mouth to object, but Diana stopped her.

“Before you get all huffy, I didn’t come here to take your precious man away. By the way, how was it exactly? Demons are the best lovers, after all...” There was no way she was answering that. She didn’t care if Diana was a demon herself. That experience was between her and Erik and it was going to stay that way. She simply glared at her in answer to that question.

“What do you want, Diana?”

“Well, I just wanted to see how you **truly** feel. You know, without him around to influence you?”

“What are you talking about?” What the heck was that supposed to mean?

“I’m giving you an opportunity to come clean about these feelings of yours and to give you your salvation...” Salvation? That was a laugh. Since when did demons offer THAT sort of service to humans? She was up to something. This was beyond crazy or desperate. Nothing she had done made any sense really. Why was she even still alive at this rate? Why hadn’t Diana just killed her?

“What’s keeping you from just killing me and taking them?”

“Heh. You’re not worth my time.” What?

“Not worth your time? What, are you afraid something might happen?” Suddenly Mika was lifted into the air and moved over past the railing, leaving her with nothing but the ground below to threaten her with a collision that meant instant death at the height they were at.

“Oh trust me, dear. I’m not afraid to kill you. I can drop you right now and leave your body to rot until the morning when the boys would find you.” Mika wanted to speak, but the thought of Diana letting her go and letting her fall to her death scared her voice into silence. She hadn’t been scared of death before... but she hadn’t had someone who depended on her to be alive before either until just recently... Diana chuckled and willed her body back to the balcony, setting her down gently.

“Alas, if I kill you, then the boys would never come with me willingly back to the demon world and then I’d have to chase them all around the world or kill them and drag them back, but then their father wouldn’t be happy and blah blah blah.... Too much work.” It sounded like it. Diana seemed very business oriented, as if the boys were cargo more than men; it irked her, but then Diana smiled.

“I’m giving you one chance to denounce your love for the demon in your bed and let me take him and the other boys back to the demon world.” So that was it. They were back to that again; she knew that Diana was up to something.

“And why, may I ask, would I do that?”

“There are so many reasons why, actually. There’s the reason that he’s a demon and you’re a human, so you two can never truly have a happily ever after. Then there’s the reason that demons truly do not know how to love, despite what he may proclaim. The list goes on and on.” Seriously? Was she so ignorant that she thought “happily ever after” actually existed for humans? That was a joke. Mika might have been brought up in a family that had known wealth, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t seen the reality around her; she went to a nice school, yes, and was blessed to have a lot of things, but no human ever lived “happily ever after.” Not even real life princes and princesses who married for love instead of duty or because of the reasons that Diana had mentioned off-handedly when she’d been trying to persuade her to give up the boys while she’d been at school. There was no such thing. Happily ever after was just a phrase used to end a story, a fairy tale or folklore that one told to young children. Life was a trial, her grandfather had helped her see that, but also to see that it was the trials in life that made or broke people depending on how they decided to handle things. A person didn’t live “happily ever after” just because they married the person who they fell in love with... or because they got something they always wanted. Sure, maybe the largest problem they’d ever face in their life was over after they achieved their goal or married their love, but that didn’t mean it was all roses afterwards. There would always be small bumps in life because no one was perfect. Mika couldn’t imagine how deluded all the demon world must be if someone as educated as her believed such things existed.

“The point is, if you give me the boys, I will promise you eternal happiness.”

“ _Eternal happiness?_ ” She nearly spat the words out, nearly laughed at the phrase.

“That’s right. I have the power to give you anything you desire. Power, men, women, money, fame. Name it and it’s yours. A demon never goes back on their word and I have the power to obtain anything you wish. Our deal is our contract.” _Yeah right... the only power you have is over the physical body and sexual desires of others..._  She scoffed. Yes that was indeed a form of power, as was likely the mind manipulation she had, but there was more to humans that just that. Perhaps Diana could fulfill such a bargain, but why under the heavens did this demon think that she would want anything that had just been offered to her? She stared in utter shock, not at the offer, but at the audacity of this demon who smiled an almost genuine smile at her; shaking her to the reality of the situation. She would never smile like that... not to her anyway.

“Don’t you wish to be free of your destiny? Your father constantly berating you to become the next CEO of your grandfather’s company?”

“H-how did you-” She was almost floored. How did Diana know all of that? She was a succubus, yes, but how could she know anything about Mika, herself, beyond sexual desire? She wasn’t Damien after all... Diana chuckled and leaned back against her arms.

“Just because I play with hearts and sex doesn’t mean I know my way around the human mind. You happen to be an open book of information... but I digress.” Mika frowned a little, if that were true, then why was she bothering to even ask?

“I can give you your freedom with ease. It’ll be like you were always meant to have it. All I ask is that you hand over the boys. What do you say?” Was she seriously being given this choice? The man she loved for anything she wanted? A demon like Diana was powerful enough, yes, but did she want to even consider giving up the man she loved for such a trivial thing? She looked at Diana, perhaps this demon was crazier than she’d thought previously... or maybe just incredibly stupid. It was hard to say which as she glared.

“Absolutely not.” There was nothing in this world that meant more to her... or even as much... as Erik did. Diana sighed and stood up on the railing. What Mika wasn’t expecting was that she was lifted up into the air. She tried to scream, but found that her voice was locked in silence; that had to be Diana’s doing. What was she doing?! Diana made her float over to her and smirked as they touched noses.

“Well, if I can’t return home with the boys... I might as well return home with the power to fight back.” Fight back? She didn’t have a chance to even try and voice the question and Diana leaned forward and kissed her. She shut her eyes, feeling the need to bite her lips, but finding no muscles in her face listening to her mental commands anymore. What had Diana done to her?! She didn’t want to enjoy it, in fact she didn’t despite every single nerve in her body was flaring in excitement and pleasure as Diana kissed her. She felt her energy drain slowly, but forcefully from her body. It wasn’t at all like when she’d been surprised by Sam.... tempted by Erik... or even offered it up freely to Erik. Diana was obviously using her magic to force the energy out of her body. It seemed like forever, but finally, Diana pulled away from the kiss with a smiled and a lick of her lips. She lowered Mika back onto the patio and chuckled. For some reason, even though nothing seemed to have changed, she looked stronger; powerful. It was almost like looking at a new Diana. Was this the power of the energy she had inside her? Was this what Erik might have looked like after taking her energy if she hadn’t passed out? Diana stepped back off of the railing, making her instinctively catch her breath in her throat. As she took another step away, she looked to simply be walking on the night air and smirked at the sudden surprise on Mika’s face.

“May you never regret your choice, human. If you do, I’ll happily come and take it away.” With a flick of her hair, Diana turned and walked away into the night, fading into the darkness like a shadow. Mika watched her fade away before looking back to the man in her bed. Did she make the right choice? She couldn’t stop the question from forming. Her heart gave a gentle thump as she looked at Erik, answering the question that had formed in her mind. There was no doubt now.

“I did... and I will never regret it for as long as I live...” She spoke, as if speaking to the demoness who was no longer there. She felt chilled now, she walked back inside and gently crawled back into bed and within the embrace of the safest arms she knew. She snuggled close to the warmth, her body slowly warming as it seeped into her, before closing her eyes. She was happy.


	22. Path I Took

The rest of the story can almost be passed over, really. With Diana gone, my life returned to normal with school and none of my classmates or the teachers remembering what had happened. It was as if magic had never even appeared in my world. It was the normalcy that I had come to expect even before the boys had come into my life. One thing was for certain, however: Erik loved me and I loved him just as much. We had promised our lives to each other and nothing was going to take that away from us, not even time itself... as I had come to learn from grandfather’s journals there was a spell that could overcome that, more or less, by tying our two souls together so that where one went, the other would follow. Our love was so powerful, it practically overwhelmed me with joy every time I found him holding me close every morning. Every time he looked my way I felt a thrill of happiness. Even just hearing his voice. To think: a demon in love with a human like me. It was unthinkable, unbelievable. It was practically impossible. But it was true. Eventually the other boys decided to leave of their own accord. They knew that in the future I would only need Erik at my side, so they each decided to start their own lives in the human world. Erik understood perfectly and vowed to serve me well, wishing his brothers the best. Besides, Erik had someone new to care for now. His brothers didn’t need to worry about him now that he was caring for me. I couldn’t help but feel bad, as well, for being closer to Erik than the others, but they all reassured me that it was okay and that they would remain nearby should I ever need them. I was happy for that. They made me promise, however, that I would love Erik for as long as we lived. That was a promise I gave instantly... but what of my future? Well, it was kinda made for me. Before I even finished the semester, James decided to step into the light of the Anderson Toys Company and, with the help of his demon powers and leadership charisma, he managed to influence not only the entire board, but my father as well into letting him run for CEO. I was beyond shocked to hear all this. How James managed to all that, especially in such a short time, was beyond me, but when the vote was called, James had taken over the company that I was ‘destined’ to have. He vowed to respect the wishes of the late CEO and helped the company become an even grander company. For a demon, it was simple to make a company grand. I didn’t mind, honestly, how things turned out. My grandfather would have been proud to see how James helped it shine. With the CEO position filled, her father had no choice but to let me decide my future, which made me happy beyond compare. No longer would I have the future scaring me into a corner; I could choose my life on my own. That being said, I was still scared of where the future was going to take me. What did I want to do? Did I want to help James build the company? Did I want to venture off on my own? Erik reassured me, even before my classes ended, that he would support me and help me through whatever I decided to do. I was grateful and would never forget that promise. I was happy, and nothing could shake me down from that happiness. 

 

One evening, a couple of years after the boys and Mika had met, she had a moment to herself; so she wandered her house and took in all that had happened, as if it were all a dream. The demons, the devils, the magic: it was all too surreal to believe. It almost frightened her to think that it could have been all a dream. That it wasn’t real, but the warm feeling in her heart reminded her that it was all real: the demons, the magic, the love she had... all of it was **real** . She smiled to herself as she held her hands to her chest, relishing in the feelings dancing within her heart and soul. She let out a happy sigh before looking up and seeing where she had actually wandered to. She realized she was standing at the entrance to the backyard and the door was slightly ajar. She peeked out to see Erik standing out by the gazebo, looking up at the moon in the sky. She slowly opened the door and exited the house, walking to towards the man who held her heart. Hearing the grass beneath her feet, he turned his head and smiled at her.

“Hehe, good evening, princess.” She smiled and blushed a bit, moving to stand at his side; that nickname he had given her from the very beginning had come to be more than just a nickname. 

“What are you doing out here?”

“Ahh, I’m merely making friends with the moon, my love.” She blushed deeper; hearing him call her his love made her heart skip a beat. Erik chuckled, most likely being able to see the blush through the darkness of the night. 

“I wanted to see the night sky. The yard is one of the more perfect places to star-gaze, don’t you agree?” 

“Yeah...” She found herself staring up at the sky as well. The stars glimmered in the dark blue, almost pitch black sky. They seemed to cast an entrancing spell on her eyes, not letting her look away; not that she cared, anyway. Erik gently wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him without breaking her stare at the sky.  

“I don’t deserve you, you know?” She raised an eyebrow and looked to Erik, confused. What did he mean? He was simply staring at the sky though, holding her gently to him.

“You’re much too wonderful to be loving a demon such as myself. As cliche as it may be, the beauty fell in love with a beast. A beast with an insatiable hunger for lust...” 

“But you’re not a beast, Erik.” He looked down at her in slight surprise; she turned her body to him and gently held his cheek in her hand, feeling him nuzzle gently into it and cradle it with his own hand. 

“You’re not a beast, nor will you ever be. You’re Erik and you’re the man I want to love for the rest of my life. Demon or not, I love you...” He stared, looking lost as to what to say at her words. It was all true, though. He had faults, of course, but who didn’t? She enjoyed his company and adored every part of his personality. The mask he wore would slowly fade over time... Or maybe not. It truly didn’t matter. After all, his mask was part of the man she fell in love with. He gently moved his head and kissed her palm, closing his eyes and absorbing what she’d said. He opened his eyes partially, staring past her hand.

“Sometimes I forget that you’re human. You entrance me better than any demon could... You’re truly unbelievable. Are you real or am I dreaming...?” 

“I’m real, Erik. I’m right here.” He finally looked at her, a look of desperate need in his eyes. 

“You’re not dreaming...” She gently guided his face down with her hands and kissed him softly, reminding him of her touch and reaffirming her words. He stared at her as if his greatest wish had come true. She fought back a giggle at the sight. Erik gently pulled her to him, facing her to hug her to his chest. She nuzzled into his chest, hearing his gentle heartbeat and memorizing it's tempo. 

“You’ll regret it. I promise you. You’ll regret loving someone like me.” 

“You underestimate me.” He chuckled softly, the sound of his laughter sending happy waves down her spine. He smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head. Her focus, however, travelled down to her hand, which had become gently held by Erik’s. His thumb grazed over her ring finger, where she could feel veins of energy tingle on her skin. She watched as, around her ring finger, a small vine wrapped itself around and tied itself into a lovely ring. The ring held a beautiful purple flower with a red gem in the middle, glistening in the moonlight. She gasped before looking up to Erik, who slightly smirked down at her.

“See? I’m taking advantage of you already.” 

“Erik...” She didn’t mind one bit. Erik gently moved his hand and cradled her cheek, replacing the smirk on his face with a tender smile that made her heart skip a beat.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I swear to love you ‘till the end of days and beyond. You make me feel so complete, I can no longer imagine what I would do in life without you. Let me stay with you... I love you so much...” She felt her heart beating a million miles an hour. Was this truly happening? Yes, it was. She felt it... knew it. Out of pure happiness, she wrapped her arms around Erik and kissed him deeply. Erik stared before holding her to him and kissing deeply back, pouring all of his love to her in that kiss. She did the same for him, not wanting to wake up if this was indeed a dream. 

 

I felt light as a feather, not wanting to ever let go of this man in my life. There are no words that could describe the emotions within me. I felt joy, happiness, ecstatic, high... all at once. Here I was, kissing the man I would be with forever, under the beautiful moonlight of the night. I had gained the heart of a demon- no, of a man I loved. I vowed to cherish him and love him for the remainder of my days and beyond. Could a demon love a human forever? I knew Erik would. And, even if they don’t exist really... that was my “happily ever after.” 


	23. Extra - My Princess

When you’re dating someone, you expect surprises; depending on who you’re dating, the surprises can range from a new habit they may have or something that may change how you see them. When it comes to dating a **demon** , however, the possibilities become endless. That’s right, I was in love with a demon. The many surprises he showed me included him being an incubus, him having tentacle powers, and him being an ex-noble from a large, expanding kingdom. I didn’t think anything could take the cake on top of those things. I was wrong.

 

Mika found herself dressed the nines, sitting in her fiance’s luxury car as they drove into the city of Chicago. She didn’t wear fancy clothes often, so feeling the lavish fabric of the gown she was wearing against her skin was almost uncomfortable. Still, she had to admit, when she’d seen herself in the mirror she’d been floored at how she looked. She was in a beautifully designed red and black dress with matching heels and jeweled accessories. She still would never know how Erik was able to obtain it all, but he’d gifted the gown, the shoes and the jewelry to her with a simple smile. A part of her knew that he had made the dress by hand. He owned a custom suit shop and had access to the finest fabrics in the city. His skill wasn’t limited to suits, however; he could make anything that was deemed as formal wear. As for the shoes and jewelry, she couldn’t figure it out and had decided to let it go. The drive into the city became one that filled her with curiosity. Why did she have to be dressed up? Where exactly were they going? \

“Erik?”

“Yes, my princess?”

“Where are we going?” A chuckle escaped his lips as he continued to drive into the night.

“I told you, it’s a surprise.”

“A surprise that requires me to dress up like I’m going to a prom?”

“Not a prom exactly...”

“Erik.” His smile grew as he lowered a hand from the wheel and took a gentle hold of one of her hands, bringing it to his lips and laying a butterfly kiss over it.

“I promise you will enjoy yourself. You have my word.” She stared at him, a small blush adorning her face at his gentle words and kiss. She gave up at last at trying to get it out of him, nodding and simply letting him guide them further into the heart of the city. Chicago was a beautiful city, especially at night. The lights that illuminated the streets and buildings were a grand sight to behold and the lively aura of the night’s energy that filled every alley and sidewalk was simply enchanting. You could take her out of Chicago, but you could never take the love of Chicago out of her. To her surprise, the traffic towards their destination was almost non-existent. They were in the richest part of Chicago and at last they arrived at their destination, one that took her completely off guard. The outside looked like a regular business building. At the very top of the tower was a large sign that said “The Gateway” in bright yellow. Something about it stood out, somehow, which made her curious. What was in store for her in this place? Erik led her out of the car, opening the door for her and escorting her out with a gentle hand. As he close the door behind her, a man dressed in a bellboy suit rushed up to Erik and held out his hands. Erik dug his hands in his tuxedo pocket and finally took out a small white envelope, passing it and his car keys to the bellboy. The bellboy took the items and quickly rushed to the driver’s side of the car, driving it off like a valet. Mika watched the car head into a nearby parking lot as she unconsciously took Erik’s arm. As she turned back to him she could tell that she was in for more surprises. He handed her a mask and silently instructed her to put it on as they walked up the steps to the door. It fit like a glove. A pair of bellboys opened the doors for Erik and her, revealing a lavish lobby with a single large pedestal platform in the middle of the room. Stepping up to it, they were stopped by a large woman in a dress suit.

“Invitation.” Mika looked at Erik, watching him take out a golden slip of paper from his pocket and pass it over to the woman. The guard looked over the parchment before nodding to Erik and stepping away from their path to the pedestal. Where on Earth were they going? She remained silent still as they stepped up to the platform and settled in the middle of it. Erik guided them both to a stop and stayed still. He nodded to the guard who simply nodded back and waved her hand in the air. As she did, the pedestal beneath them suddenly shifted and began to rise into the air.

“Whoa!” Mika griped Erik tightly as the platform beneath them ascended through the building. All around them were sights of pictures and diamond chandeliers. Whatever this was, she could tell that this was by no means a regular event. After all, who had an elevator that worked like _this_?! When they reached the top floor - or what she thought was the top floor - they were greeted by a pair of women in waitress suits, bowing to them in respect. As she saw their bird tail feathers and pure black eyes, Mika knew that this was a demon party. The doors before them opened to a large ballroom, one that deliberately didn’t seem to fit the inside of a suite room. All around were couples and groups mingling and dancing elegantly to the sounds of Victorian style orchestral music. She was astonished, even as she was being watched by Erik; everyone was dressed in modern formal wear with a range of dresses and tuxedos. It was almost dizzying how much the aged music clashed with the modern fashion of the patrons.

“Wow...”

“Welcome to a small taste of the demon world, my princess.” The guests were all demon; some with horns, some with tails, and the rest with an assortment of different looks. It was a conglomerate of demons and she felt a bit out of place as someone who looked obviously human. As they stepped further into the room, a voice chirped out.

“Erik, my boy! Come fly over here, will you?” She looked over to see a pale yellow bird man with navy blue feathered hair to frame his face and white hair beyond that to match the tuxedo he wore. The tie that hung around his neck was a sapphire blue while the pants he wore matched his head feathers. He was waving them over, on his arm was a very handsome, tan skinned gentleman who had brown eyes and dark maroon hair with pink highlights across the tip of his bangs and the ends of the rest of his hair; poking out from his hair were brown mouse ears and he wore the same attire as his companion. He even had a tail too, but Mika didn’t stare; despite her nervousness, the two of them walked over; as Erik bowed his head to the two she quickly curtsied. For some reason, the way the bird carried himself made him seem like a prince. Mika was in awe of his gorgeous tail feathers and ebony black beak that seemed to be accented by the lavish suit he wore.

“Connor! You look splendid. I assume you approve of your tuxedo?”

“Approve? I absolutely love it! Ricardo here won’t let go of me because of it.” Mika looked over at the mouse, whom she could only assume to be Ricardo as he smiled coyly and hugged Connor’s arm tight, nodding in agreement of Conner’s words. She smile a bit as Erik laughed.

“Very good. Well, thank you for inviting us to your anniversary celebration. It is an honor to be in such company.”

“Nonsense! Thank _you_ for attending! As the son of the most powerful demon in the Abyssal Plains, it’s only proper to invite you regardless! My only regret is not inviting your brothers. I must seem so rude!” Erik waved a hand dismissively.

“Think nothing of it. We actually denounced our titles when we came to this world.”

“You don’t say? Well good on you! You do such fabulous work as a designer here, it’s no wonder that your suit shop is unmatched!” Connor finally turned his head to Mika and cocked it in curiosity; she felt a bit small under his gaze but smiled respectfully back.

“And who might this lovely lady be? A human?” Was it that obvious? Erik nodded and lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it respectfully before their conversation partners.

“ _This_ is my wonderful princess. I asked her to accompany me tonight to show her how elegant a demon ball can be.”

“How marvelous! I rarely get to meet humans. It is an absolute delight to meet you!” Connor held out his hand towards her, making her place her hand in it out of manners. Instead of kissing her hand, however, he lifted it to his beak and very gently nipped a couple of times at the back of it; making her giggle a bit. _I suppose that is his form of a kiss..._

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too!” Connor released her hand and smiled before looking back at Erik.

“Well Erik, ‘Princess’, it’s been an absolute pleasure to meet you! Please enjoy the ball. Dance and eat as much as you like!”

“We shall. Thank you!” With that, Erik and Mika walked away from Connor and Ricardo, both of whom were waving at them before turning to find new conversation partners.

“So this is a demon ball?”

“Yes, princess. You’ve been curious about what life was like for me in the Demon World, yes?” She nodded, she was indeed curious about Erik’s life in the Demon World, but she didn’t expect him to give her an experience. This was completely out of the blue. Erik gestured to the room, where the couples on the dance floor were waltzing in sync; it was mesmerizing.

“Well, this is a perfect representation of how demon royals celebrated. We had elegant balls filled with dancing and food and they would only end when the sun came up.”

“Really? I thought the Demon World was like the Dark Ages. This seems like a fairytale ball, not really medieval...” He chuckled and walked with her around the dance floor, continuing his explanation.

“The Demon World may be stuck in the Dark Ages, but we do take inspiration from the Human World. Your fairy tales inspired our celebrations.” She couldn’t stop staring at the dancers and the demons in the room. There were so many dressed up like royalty that she felt almost underdressed. There were some glances her way, but none with ill intent. It was probably natural, since she was a human in a room full of demons. Slyly, Erik led Mika onto the dance floor and began to waltz with her to the music. They remained outside of the crowd, dancing to their own beat and sways as the rest of the dancers kept in time and step with the synchronized dancing.

“So, instead of getting phones and computers, you got balls and dresses?”

“Haha! You are correct. The Demon World has no need for computers or phones, but new traditions of celebration are always welcomed.”

“No raves or clubs?”

“Too human for our tastes.” She chuckled a little.

“No light shows or djs?”

“That would require electricity, my princess, which we don’t care to use. To us, it’s a waste of energy.” She pursed her lips at Erik as he slowly began to ease them into the crowd. Mika barely noticed the dancers moving aside and stopping their dance to stare at them as she locked eyes with Erik, continuing the conversation.

“Do demons have balls often?”

“Unfortunately, no. Hosting celebrations take a large amount of resources, so we save balls for only the most grand of occasions.”

“Like birthdays?”

“Demons don’t celebrate birthdays, princess; however, we celebrate the peaceful uniting of kingdoms or the crowning of a new ruler.” Mika became fascinated, even as Erik began to twirl her around and add elaborate steps into the dance between them. They both focused on each other as they let the world around them fade into a blurred outline of dancers and decor.

“However, the Human World has provided demons here the means to celebrate many more things.”

“Like Conner’s anniversary?” Erik nodded and dipped her for a moment, staring deep into her eyes.

“Exactly.” She held onto Erik, memorized by his lovely violet eyes. She squeezed his hand gently and caused him to lift her back up and hold her close in a loving embrace.

“And one day, I would love to hold an elegant ball for our union.”

“Erik...” Mika’s face began to glow a soft rosy red as she smiled up at her prince. She loved him with every ounce of her being and a fairytale wedding and ball seemed like a perfect way to celebrate. She stretched up on her toes and kissed him ever so gently before pulling away with a giggle.

“I would love that.” Erik stared at her in surprise for a moment before chuckling and nuzzling his head against hers, a playful but loving smirk against his lips.

“My beautiful princess... I am yours forever...”

“And I am yours, my prince charming...”

  
The night became one of fairytale dancing and a seemingly happy ever after for me and my demon prince.


End file.
